Diplomats Home Course to Host 2015 U.S. Women's Open

LANCASTER, Pa. - The Lancaster Country Club, home to the Franklin & Marshall College women's golf team, has been selected as the site for 2015 U.S. Women's Open.

"Lancaster Country Club being named the venue of the 2015 U.S. Open is simply a testament to how good of a golf course and facility it truly is," said F&M Head Coach, Ryan Peffer. "Our team is proud to call it our home course and we are privileged to have such a long-standing, healthy relationship with the club."

Designed by architect William Flynn, the Old Course at Lancaster Country Club opened in 1920. A course revision to bring it very near to the original Flynn layout was completed in 2007, under the guidance of Ron Forse. The club features three nine-hole courses, a six-hole course, a practice range, and a separate short game complex.

Lancaster Country Club was a local qualifying site for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open and also hosted the 2002 and 2007 Pennsylvania Opens, the 1990 and 2005 Pennsylvania Women's Amateurs and seven Pennsylvania State Amateur championships.

An interesting historical note about the club involves the 1948 Pennsylvania Amateur, when Lancaster member Billy Haverstick defeated 19-year-old Arnold Palmer, 3 and 2, en route to winning the title at his home club. Also, 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk grew up playing golf for nearby Manheim Township High School, which used Lancaster as its home course.

Known for its generally rolling topography, Lancaster C.C. is intersected by the Conestoga River, which comes into play on seven holes. Highly contoured greens, canting fairways and a mixture of elevation changes are hallmarks of the course design.

The 2015 U.S. Women's Open will be the ninth occurrence of the championship to be played in Pennsylvania. In July, Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem will serve as the site of the U.S. Women's Open; the 2010 championship will be played at Oakmont Country Club.

Previously, the U.S. Women's Open has been played at these other Pennsylvania sites: Bala Country Club in Philadelphia (1952); Churchill Valley Country Club in Pittsburgh (1959); Moselem Springs Golf Club in Fleetwood (1968); The Kahkwa Club in Erie (1971); Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield (1976); and Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont (1992).

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has hosted 77 previous USGA championships and will also be the site of the 2009 Walker Cup Match at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, from Sept. 12-13.

First played in 1946, the U.S. Women's Open is open to any female professional and to female amateurs with USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 4.4.