Worcester Country Club is a private country club and
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 teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
. The course hosted the first
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
in 1927, and was the site of the
1925 U.S. Open, which was won by
Willie Macfarlane. Worcester also hosted the 1960 U.S. Women's Open. It was the first, and currently only one of three golf courses in the United States to host the men's and women's U.S. Open Championships and the Ryder Cup. For over half a century Worcester was the only club to have hosted all three events until 2014 when Pinehurst hosted its first U.S. Women's Open. Hazeltine made it an elite group of three upon its host of the 2016 Ryder Cup, but notably, Hazeltine is not a classic course (built in 1962). Worcester also hosted the first-ever U.S. Open qualifying round in 1924. The club is tied with Oyster Harbors for hosting the most Massachusetts Opens (7) and has also hosted 7 Massachusetts Amateur Championships. Worcester is one of a few private clubs in the United States that has a bowling alley in the men's locker room.
History
In 1900, Worcester Country Club was founded. In 1913, the club called on golf architect
Donald Ross to build an 18-hole golf course on a new site in Worcester.
In 1914,
President William Howard Taft hit the ceremonial first ball to open the new course.
In 1925, the club hosted
U.S. Open. The event was won by Scottish golfer
Willie Macfarlane in a second 18-hole playoff over
Bobby Jones. This was the championship in which Jones famously called a penalty on himself when his ball moved slightly in the rough after he touched the grass with his club on the 11th hole of the first round. The penalty cost him the title. When praised by the press for his sportsmenship Jones said "You may as well praise me for not robbing a bank. There is only one way to play the game."
[Fun and sick facts about U.S. Open](_blank)
CNN. (June 12, 2008). In addition,
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...
on the 6th hole had his first
hole-in-one during a practice round of the 1925 U.S. Open.
In 1927 Worcester Country Club hosted the inaugural
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
.
After his arrival in the U.S. from Carnoustie, Scotland,
Willie Ogg – who served as one of the early head professionals at the club – was instrumental in arranging for the first
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
matches to be held at his home course in 1927. Ogg also laid out the Green Hill Golf Club in Worcester, and the course opened up for play on April 1, 1929. Ogg served as vice president of the
PGA of America
The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish and elevate t ...
.
The United States team led by captain Walter Hagen and
Gene Sarazen defeated captain
Ted Ray and the British team by a score of 9.5 to 2.5.
Donald Ross came back to the club in 1929 with plan for changes, including new tees and some work that he had been unable to carry out in 1913.
In 1960,
Betsy Rawls won her fourth
U.S. Women's Open with a score of 292. Hosting the Women's Open marked Worcester CC as the first club in the United States to entertain both Open Championships. Judy Torluemke (
Judy Rankin
Judy Rankin ( Torluemke; born February 18, 1945) is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events.
From 2010 through 2022, Ranki ...
), then 15 years old, was the youngest player in history to win low amateur honors, with 326.
Mickey Wright, the leader going into the final day and seeking her third consecutive Open championship, shot eighty-one to lose to Betsy Rawls. The prize money was $7,200. Rawls won $1,800.
History Brief History of Worcester Country Club
/ref>
References
External links
Official Site
{{Coord, 42.320926, -71.778682, display=t, type:landmark
1900 establishments in Massachusetts
Golf clubs and courses in Massachusetts
Sports venues in Worcester, Massachusetts
Sports venues completed in 1900
Ryder Cup venues