Westchester CC has impressed the field at the U.S. Women’s Amateur

HARRISON, New York – All of the venues chosen by the U.S. Golf Association to host national championships provide the requisite stern test.

A select few raise the bar.

Players competing in this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur have been quick to praise the look and feel of Westchester Country Club, which offered its famed West Course for this championship.

“It’s definitely really cool,” said Rachel Kuehn, a 19-year-old from Ashville, North Carolina, who fired a 5-under 67 on Tuesday and grabbed medalist honors with a 6-under total of 138. “Coming up to this week, everyone in my hometown was like, ‘Where’s the Women’s Am?’ And I was like, ‘Westchester.’ And they were like, ‘I can’t wait to hear all about it.’ This place is so prestigious and so established. The stories you hear, the (Bob Gilder) plaque on 18 for the double eagle. It’s so special to be here and put our names down with that is really special.”

And very few clubs on the list have sightlines that include a Gatsbyesque hotel.

“It’s beautiful,” said Lauren Peter, a Carmel resident who advanced to match play, finishing with a 1-over total of 145. “Coming up the hill at nine you can see all of the cool terraces.”

Westchester Country Club is celebrating its centennial next year.

There is history hanging on almost every wall in an extremely well-appointed clubhouse, starting with an oversized photo of Edith Cummings.

She won the U.S. Women’s Amateur here in 1923.

“This is very close to the top, maybe my No. 1,” said Caroline Canales, an 18-year-old UCLA signee who cruised into match play with a 68 in near-perfect conditions on Tuesday. “I really like this course. It’s in great shape. It’s tough. It’s a typical U.S. Amateur course. USGA (events) are usually at really nice places, but a place like this that has had a lot of pro tournaments makes it even more special.”

Walter Travis designed the West Course, which hosted the PGA Tour for 40 years and is playing at 6,500 yards this week.

Jack Nicklaus won here. Tiger Woods played here. It was the site of the first FedExCup playoff event in 2007. Inbee Park won the first KPMG Women’s PGA Championship here in 2015.

Four holes once ranked among the most difficult on Tour.

“This course is hard,” added Kuehn, who plays at Wake Forest. “It’s playing pretty long and I think it’s important to have some long, straight tee balls to get yourself into position because the greens are so firm. If you’re hitting a long iron or hybrid or wood into them, it’s really hard, but if you can get yourself to where you have a mid-iron instead, it makes all the difference.

“I’m sure they put so much work into the course because it’s absolutely perfect and we’re just so fortunate to be able to play a course this pure and this beautiful.”

Playing a venue that was synonymous with the men’s game is a big deal, too.

“It is,” said Emilia Migliaccio, a Wake Forest grad and Augusta National Women’s Amateur runner-up who closed stroke play with a 69 to move into a tie for sixth and on to match play. “There are courses where we were not allowed at one point, so to be able to step foot on such pristine courses and be fully welcomed, fully embraced is just really special for us.”

Stroke play results: 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur

To be considered for a USGA championship, a club has to check a lot of boxes and the punchlist starts with a quality golf course.

While a stipend is provided for hosting amateur championships, the clubs are responsible for raising funds to cover most of the operating expenses. It’s an investment that can easily climb north of $500,000 for the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Ardsley Country Club (1898) and Sleepy Hollow Country Club (2002) are the only other local venues to host this event.

There’s marquee value in the future of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, too, with Chambers Bay (2022), Bel-Air Country Club (2023), Southern Hills Country Club (2024) and The Honors Course (2026) locked in.

For all its history, Westchester has not seen a lot of match play at this level. And starting with the Round of 64 on Wednesday, it’s anybody’s championship.

“The seeding doesn’t really mean anything at this level,” Kuehn said. “Everyone can go out there and have a good round and match play is just about having a little bit better round than your opponent.”

Kuehn, who’s No. 23 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished two shots clear of the field. Kennedy Pedigo claimed the No. 2 seed in match play, finishing at 4-under and Brooke Matthews was third at 3-under.

As the sun was setting, 10 players began a playoff to fill the final two spots.

Peter, who’s going into her junior year at Ohio State, came up with arguably the best round of her career when it counted most, closing stroke play with a 3-under 69 and climbing into a tie for 20th.

“I just kind of stuck to my game,” she sad. “I did the same thing I did yesterday, just fired at more pins. … To be honest, I was just having fun. I knew that if I stuck to my game I could shoot a good round out here. I did not look at the scoreboard yesterday so I had no idea how I needed to play. I kind of just wanted to stick to my game and see where it put me.”

A kick-in birdie at the short par-3 sixth got her rolling.

“I kind of just knew I could stick it more on pins today and my irons were better than they were yesterday,” Peter said. “It’s just so great here, the course is in beautiful shape, too. And to have the support of all my family and friends that came out here today again was fun.”

Mike Dougherty covers boys soccer, boys lacrosse, girls basketball and golf for The Journal News/lohud.com. He can be reached at mdougher@lohud.com, or on Twitter @hoopsmbd, @lohudlacrosse, @lohudhoopsmbd and @lohudgolf.