Pine Valley to host a major women's competition for the first time in its history
Pine Valley Golf Club (USGA photo)
Pine Valley Golf Club, in Pine Hill, N.J., will host the 2034 Curtis Cup Match, the USGA announced on Wednesday. The venerable golf club has previously hosted the 1936 and 1985 Walker Cup Matches.
“We are committed to bringing our championships to the finest golf courses in the country, and over the last several years, that commitment has only strengthened for our women’s championships,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “That is why, on the eve of a monumental first U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, this is a fitting and historic announcement for the Curtis Cup and the USGA.”
Pine Valley, which began in 1913 and was completed in 1922, was designed by George Arthur Crump, who died in 1918. For his one and only design, Crump consulted experienced architects such as Harry Colt, A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, Hugh Wilson, George C. Thomas Jr. and Walter Travis to conceptualize the course, which from the beginning has been widely considered the greatest architecture in America.
"Pine Valley was founded with the mission of celebrating the best in amateur golf,” said club president Jim Davis, “so it’s only natural that we’d want to host the premier event bringing together the best women amateurs of Great Britain, Ireland and the United States. The membership cherishes our heritage with the Walker Cup and now looks forward to creating the same kind of history with the 2034 Curtis Cup.”
Captained by Francis Ouimet, the USA Team won the 1936 Walker Cup Match at Pine Valley in dominant fashion, blanking their Great Britain & Ireland opponents, 9-0. The USA claimed the 1985 Match by a narrow 13-11 margin, with a team featuring playing captain Jay Sigel and future PGA Tour winners Davis Love III, Scott Verplank and Duffy Waldorf.
The 2034 Curtis Cup Match will be the 64th USGA championship held in the state of New Jersey, fourth-most among all states. The Garden State last hosted the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, won by Sam Bennett.
The Curtis Cup Match, jointly run by the USGA and The R&A, is contested by two teams of eight female amateur players, one from the USA and one from Great Britain and Ireland. It consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition. The USA leads the overall series, 31-8-3.
The 43rd Curtis Cup Match will be played Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2024, at Sunningdale, England, while the 44th Match will be played at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles from June 12-14, 2026.
By Julia Pine, USGA
ABOUT THE Curtis Cup
Officially named "The Women's
International Cup," the first Curtis Cup
wasn't officially held until 1932. The
biennial competition features the best
female players from the United States of
America pitted against a similar squad
from Great Britain and Ireland. While it
was hoped that many nations would
eventually join the Match, the Curtis Cup
has remained a two-sided competition.
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