Setting up the U.S. Senior Women's Open
By Mike Dudurich • July 28, 2024
PITTSBURGH - Plenty of work has been done to make sure Fox Chapel Golf Club’s outstanding course will be at its absolute best when the 2024 U.S. Senior Open gets underway Aug. 1.
At the same time, work has also been done (and will continue to be done) to insure not only the players, but fans as well will have the best possible experience when they get to the club.
Leading the latter effort are a pair of hard-working women and their teams.
Laura Martinsen is the USGA’s Director of Championships and, in that role, oversees the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. In those events, she’s in charge of everything “inside-the-ropes.”
Katherine Khoury is the “outside-the-ropes” person for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in her role as the Assistant Director, U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
Martinsen played golf for four years at Indiana University and played professionally on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour for three years, where she posted a pair of top-10 finishes.
That experience gives her great insight when it comes to one of her key functions – setting up the golf courses where they championships are held.
“Every time I come out to do a site visit, I’m walking the golf course,” Martinsen said. “I can see the golf courses a lot more when I walk them. And each day of the tournament, I’ll about walking very early, making decisions for that day.”
She has become a big fan of this elite layout and wraps up her feelings about it this way: “We don’t have to do too much to make it hard,” she said. “It’s going to be challenging, a true test. Fox Chapel will be a test of all their games. It’s kind of a Pittsburgh mentality in terms of toughness.”
Martinsen provided a mini-preview of what golfers can expect when they arrive at the end of the month.
“The stretch of 15-18 will be pivotal,” she said. “The 15th is a downhill par four, with an uphill approach to a big green. The 16th is slightly back uphill par four that leads to the famous, tricky 17th.”
The 17th is a 185-yard, par three with the famous Biarritz green. The valley in the green creates a variety of issues, depending on where Martinsen decides to place the pin. It will be vital for players to hit the right part of the green or putting will be very interesting.
And the 534-yard 18th will, no doubt, turn to be a classic finishing hole. It will play to 534-yards, requiring a straight tee shot, either clearing a small stream that bisects the fairway or laying up short of it.
The approach shot is substantial, uphill to a large undulating green. All it will take is two or three well-struck shots to reach the green, the one that Carol Semple Thompson rolled in a 27-foot birdie putt to clinch the 2002 Cup for the United States team.
And all that action will take place with spectators being up-close-and-personal. Other than around the tees and greens, there will be no ropes for fans to stand behind. They’ll be able to get close enough to hear conversations and observe players swings.
While Martinsen gets in her steps each day as she plots each day’s play, she is mindful about making Fox Chapel too difficult.
“I would guess our winning score will be a few under par, maybe,” she said. “What we want is a fair, tough test.”
Khoury has held her position since the initial U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2018. Among her many duties are to be the primary liaison with the host club membership, government officials and the local community.
“We try to give fans the best possible experience they can have at the event,” Khoury said. “And at the same time, we’re keeping an eye on things to get ideas about things we might do to improve what we do for future events. We want to grow this event, make it the kind of event that people absolutely want to attend.”
She develops a marketing and promotions plan, the player services plan, corporate hospitality, volunteers, parking.
“We want to get people here and once we do that; we want them to enjoy the day,” she said with the bit of a drawl you’d expect from a North Carolinian. “We want to showcase the golf course and this spectacular clubhouse. It’s a wonderful venue and when fans come out to watch these great players, we want them to have a great time.”
Khoury and her staff will debut a piece of the entertainment puzzle for the first time. It’s called the Pittsburgh Pavilion and it will be in the area of the 7th and 17th holes.
The intention is for it to be sports bar-like with televisions, a bar, snacks and a place where fans can gather as they make their way around the course.
“Fox Chapel Golf Club is an awesome place and when people come out, they’ll get to see it for themselves,” Khoury said. “We’ve had great volunteer support, great community support. This is a completely different experience for people who have been to other major championships. There are the same pressures for us to put on a great event. It’s just at a different level.””
For media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 34,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.