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Westchester Country Club is a private
country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...
located in Town of
Harrison, New York Harrison is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States, northeast of Manhattan. The population was 28,218 at the 2020 census. History Harrison was established in 1696 by a patent granted by the British government to John Harrison ...
. Founded in 1922 as destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golf players and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the "
Westchester Classic The FedEx St. Jude Championship, founded as the Westchester Classic in 1967, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been played as the first tournament of the playoff system for the FedEx Cup, with the field limi ...
"," a PGA Tour favorite. Amenities include a historic clubhouse designed by architects
Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...
and two championship caliber 18-hole
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...
s designed by Walter Travis. The club also boasts one 9-hole golf course, an indoor swimming pool, squash courts, grass tennis courts and a stand-alone beach, outdoor pool and restaurant facility on Manursing Island.


History

The Westchester Biltmore Country Club was the dream of hotelier
John McEntee Bowman John McEntee Bowman (1875 – October 28, 1931) was a Canadian-born businessman, American hotelier and horseman, and the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp.- - Biography Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowman began his American work ...
. Bowman purchased the former 650-acre Hobart Park Estate and planned a place to which businessmen from the New York metropolitan area could commute easily and pursue golf, riding, polo, tennis and more. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963. The South Course was originally designed for women and higher handicap golfers. Around 1997, the South Course was reconstructed with longer tees, new sand and grass bunkers, water hazards, and some new greens. The South Course is now more competitive with the West Course to accommodate low handicap golfers.


Tournaments

*Westchester Country Club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1923, which was won by
Edith Cummings Edith Cummings Munson (March 26, 1899 – November 20, 1984), popularly known as The Fairway Flapper, was an American socialite and one of the premier amateur golfers during the Jazz Age. She was one of the Big Four debutantes in Chicago duri ...
. *Today's PGA Northern Trust tournament was played at Westchester for many years. The tournament had its beginnings at neighboring Apawamis as a one-day pro-amateur benefiting the now defunct United Hospital of Port Chester. Founded by William Mitchell "Bill" Jennings, it was the precursor of the Thunderbird Classic and quickly became a "Westchester Classic". The Thunderbird was a success in
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
and also in 1964 and
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...
. There was no tour event at Westchester in
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
, and starting in 1967, the
Westchester Classic The FedEx St. Jude Championship, founded as the Westchester Classic in 1967, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been played as the first tournament of the playoff system for the FedEx Cup, with the field limi ...
became an annual stop on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
through
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
.
Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
won the rain-delayed inaugural event (and $50,000) on a Wednesday, and Steve Stricker the last, the initial event of the first
FedEx Cup Playoffs The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007. Rory McIlroy is the 2022 champion. T ...
. On January 14, 2008, an article in the Journal News announced the PGA Tour's desire to terminate its affiliation with Westchester Country Club. The decision was made primarily because of
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...
' absence in the tournament in 2007 (following his consecutive victories in the WGC-Bridgestone and
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
), and the tournament's subsequent low TV ratings and low attendance. On January 26, a compromise agreement was made between the club and the PGA Tour at a
town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...
at the club; WCC was paid $1.1 million to move the event from Harrison to
Ridgewood Country Club The Ridgewood Country Club (RCC) is a country club located in Paramus, New Jersey, a suburb northwest of New York City in Bergen County. It was founded in 1890 in neighboring Ho-Ho-Kus, but has been at its current location since 1926. Its facili ...
in Paramus, New Jersey, for
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. The tournament name has changed several times since then due to sponsorship switches. * In a second compromise agreement, the PGA Tour awarded Westchester a major tournament on the
Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...
. The Constellation Energy
Senior Players Championship The Senior Players Championship, stylised by the PGA Tour as The SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, is one of the five major championships on golf's PGA Tour Champions. The inaugural event was played in 1983 and the age minimum is 50, the standard fo ...
was played on the renovated West Course in
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
, won by
Fred Couples Frederick Steven Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer who has competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. A former List of World Number One male golfers, World No. 1, he has won 64 professional tournaments, m ...
. *In June
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, Westchester hosted its first
LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...
, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, won by
Inbee Park Inbee Park (, or ; born 12 July 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. She has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four separate runs: April 2013 ...
. *Westchester hosted a second U.S. Women's Amateur in
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
.


Image gallery

File:Ernie during 2006 Buick Classic at Westchester CC.jpg, Ernie Els and Club Caddie Trevor Spencer during the 2006 Buick Classic Image:Barn at 9th hole.jpg, 9th hole, South Course File:Winter view looking toward sports house 2006.jpg, Christmas Eve 2006 File:Flower Bed at Westchester Country Club.jpg, flower bed File:View from 9th green of West Course.JPG, 9th hole, West Course File:View Towards Pro Shop and Locker Room C.jpg, view heading towards pro shop File:Third Green of South Course.JPG, 3rd green, South Course File:Westchester Country Club Harrison Landmark.jpg, PollyPark Road Entrance File:View Looking Towards 9th Green of South Course.JPG, 9th hole, South Course


References


External links


Westchester Country Club
{{Authority control Golf clubs and courses in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Westchester County, New York Harrison, New York Hotels in New York (state) Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Sports venues in Westchester County, New York Hotels established in 1922 Hotel buildings completed in 1922 1922 establishments in New York (state)