Woodmont Country Club superintendent Cory Wesselman (IAA 2011, AREC 2017) weathered 90-degree temperatures and a tropical storm in early August to host the United States Golf Association Women’s Amateur tournament. The tournament, recognized as the world’s most prestigious for women amateurs, is dominated by top college players. The grueling, week-long format includes practice rounds followed by two rounds of on-site qualifying play for 132 players, of whom the lowest-scoring 64 advance to match play. The champion plays 8 pressure-packed rounds of golf, which makes this tournament much harder than the usual 72-hole professional golf event—and very high-stress for both the players and the staff of the golf course in Rockville, MD.
Wesselman directed a staff of 55 employees and volunteers for the week, using a split shift schedule beginning at 4:30 am and ending after dark. All eyes were on Tropical Storm Isaias, which cancelled Round 2 on Tuesday, but the maintenance team was able to start repairs at 2pm after three inches of rain and high winds. The go
lf course, which was in outstanding condition, earned the respect of players and USGA officials alike. A Golf Channel team of 30 provided ground and aerial coverage for the week. Wesselman, a perfectionist, had to admit that “the course looked awesome on television.”
Viewers had plenty of time to admire the course: after 36 holes, the top two contenders had to play two extra holes to break their stalemate. While college and international golfers dominated the event, a 17-year-old high school senior, Rose Zhang, from Irvine, CA, outlasted the previous year’s winner—Gabriela Ruffels from Australia—to take home the trophy. The final showdown (which Golf magazine described as “excruciating” and “the best finish…on PGA Championship Sunday”) marks this year’s tournament as one of the best U.S. Amateur events ever. Much credit goes to Cory and his team at Woodmont.
Many IAA students have interned and worked at Woodmont through the years. I hope, like Wesselman, they saw the awesome course on television.
