Two U.S. Senior Opens, 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2038 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 2051 U.S. Amateur to be contested at Pennsylvania club
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 7, 2023) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa., will be the host site for five USGA championships, including the 2032 and 2042 U.S. Senior Opens. The club will also host the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2038 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 2051 U.S. Amateur.
In 2022, Saucon Valley hosted its eighth USGA championship, as Padraig Harrington posted a one-stroke victory over Steve Stricker on the club’s Old Course to win the 42nd U.S. Senior Open. Harrington became the first player from the Republic of Ireland to hoist the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy.
“Saucon Valley Country Club and the Lehigh Valley have enthusiastically supported many USGA championships for women, men, juniors and seniors for more than 70 years and we are pleased to continue that partnership,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. “With this agreement, Saucon Valley and its impressive three-course facility will continue to shape the state of Pennsylvania’s renowned championship history for many decades to come.”
Saucon Valley’s Old Course has hosted three U.S. Senior Opens, the most of any site. In addition to 2022, Larry Laoretti finished with rounds of 67 and 68 to record a four-stroke victory over Jim Colbert in 1992, and Hale Irwin won his second U.S. Senior Open and fifth USGA title in record-setting style in 2000. Irwin established a 72-hole scoring record of 17-under-par 267 (since eclipsed) to defeat Bruce Fleisher by three strokes.
“On behalf of our board of governors and the entire membership, it is an honor to host five additional national championships and continue Saucon Valley’s storied history with the USGA,” said John F. Malloy, club president. “This relationship represents Saucon Valley’s broad commitment to supporting the game of golf in ways that are both diverse and inclusive on both the professional and amateur levels.”
Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course was designed by Herbert Strong and opened in 1922. Revisions were completed by William Gordon, Perry Maxwell and most recently Tom Marzolf from the Fazio Group in 2008. Saucon Valley’s historic 850-acre facility also features the Weyhill Course and the Grace Course, named for Eugene Grace, club patriarch and former chairman of Bethlehem Steel. Both layouts were designed by the father-son team of William and David Gordon; Weyhill was renovated by Tom Fazio in 2010, and Grace was restored by Andrew Green in 2014. The club, which also includes a six-hole course for juniors and novice players, is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
Saucon Valley’s Old and Weyhill Courses will host the club’s second U.S. Junior Amateur in 2026. Tim Straub won the championship the first time it was played there in 1983. Saucon Valley will host its first U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2038. The 2051 U.S. Amateur will be the 13th USGA championship held at the club and will be played on the 100th anniversary of Billy Maxwell’s 4-and-3 victory over Joseph F. Gagliardi in the 1951 U.S. Amateur final on the Old Course.
Three other USGA championships have been played at Saucon Valley. John Richardson defeated James Kite Jr., 5 and 4, to capture the 1987 U.S. Senior Amateur. In 2009, Eun-Hee Ji sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the U.S. Women’s Open, edging Candie Kung by one stroke. Scott Harvey defeated fellow stroke-play medalist Brad Nurski, 6 and 5, in the 36-hole final of the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Additionally, the club hosted the 2008 and 2013 Pennsylvania State Amateurs, conducted by the Pennsylvania Golf Association, and several Golf Association of Philadelphia championships, including the 1977 Philadelphia Open and 2010 Philadelphia Amateur.
There have been 90 USGA championships contested in the state of Pennsylvania through the 2022 season and the Quaker State leads all states in that category. Pennsylvania will host several more championships in the upcoming years, including the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Stonewall in Elverson; the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club, the 2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, and the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
| Future USGA Championships at Saucon Valley Country Club | ||||
| Year | Championship | |||
| 2026 | U.S. Junior Amateur | |||
| 2032 | U.S. Senior Open | |||
| 2038 | U.S. Women’s Amateur | |||
| 2042 | U.S. Senior Open | |||
| 2051 | U.S. Amateur |
About the USGA
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts.
To learn more, visit usga.org.
