2019 CLEMENT A. GRISCOM CUP
Thursday, May 30 & Friday, May 31 Just Some of the Past Host Clubs of the “Griscom Cup”
Worcester Country Club and MASS GOLF team up once again to bring yet another championship to Worcester Country Club. The Clement A. Griscom Cup. This is one of the oldest amateur women's tournaments in the country. Worcester CC joins an impressive list of clubs that have hosted the “Griscom Cup”.
2019 GRISCOM CUP COMING TO WORCESTER COUNTRY CLUB On Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31, Worcester Country Club will be the site of the 2019 Griscom Cup. This annual event is one of the longest running competitive women’s amateur tournaments in the country having started in 1898. It is a match of nine player teams (including an alternate) from Massachusetts, eastern Pennsylvania and the New York City areas. On the first day the matches are a team (foursomes) format and on the second day the players compete in singles matches. The event is played over two days, with the first day being a combination practice round/best ball of foursome event (all team members and their respective representatives play the practice round).
MISS FRNACIS C. GRISCOM
Worcester is proud to serve as this year’s host and join an A1900 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion list of past match sites including Baltusrol, Merion, The Country Club, Aronimink, Shinnecock and Winged Foot. We look forward to a spirited competition.
Course Availability During the Tournament Thursday, May 30 - 1st Tee is open from 11:00am to 1:00pm and after 3:00pm Friday, May 31 - 1st Tee opens at 11:00am and is open the remainder of the day
HISTORY The Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia initiated an intercity competition when, in 1898, it challenged a group of women from the Morris County Country Club, an all-women’s club in New Jersey, to a match at Merion Golf Club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. That informal relationship lasted two years. When the WMGA was established in the fall of 1899 and began conducting competitions in the spring and fall of 1900, it assumed the responsibility for selecting an 18-member team from throughout the Metropolitan region. That was also the year the Challenge Cup was donated by the Griscom family. Conflicting reports make it unclear whether the donation was made by Clement Griscom in honor of his daughter Frances, who was the reigning US Amateur Champion, or by Frances in honor of her father. Most of the early Griscom Cup players were familiar with one another through their participation in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships. In fact, in 1900 Miss Frances Griscom defeated Margaret Curtis, from Boston, for the Women’s Amateur title. The next year, Boston petitioned to challenge for the Cup. Their petition was accepted in 1902, and in an interesting aside, that first threecity challenge was held at what was then called Baltusrol Links. The following year saw the beginning of the annual rotation of the tournament among the three cities. Over the course of time, the format and scoring were modified, as was the number of players on a team. Originally, the team score was the total of the number of holes by which each player won her match. In 1910 that was changed so that one point per match was allocated. A final amendment in 1941 established the Three-Ball Match Play format used today. The number of players was reduced to 15 in 1910, to 11 in 1947, to seven in 1952 and at the Centennial Celebration at Merion Golf Club in 1998, the format was changed to eight players and an alternate. Spectators are welcome!
Playing Captain Chelsea Curtis kissing the Griscom Cup
Come and Witness History! Next Thursday (5/30) and Friday (5/31) Worcester will host a unique historical event – the Griscom Cup. Each nine member Griscom state (MA, PA, NY) team – which consists of a mix of junior, collegiate, mid-amateur and senior amateur female competitors – will compete in both an alternate shot match and a three-way individual match. Team Massachusetts seeks its 28th Griscom Cup title and the first since 2015, the last time the matches were held in the Bay State. One player will sit out each round as the designated alternative. The nine team members of this year’s Massachusetts team are Chelsea Curtis (George Wright GC), Mary Gale (Bedrock GC), Angela Garvin (The Ranch GC), Hannah Ghelfi (Pocasset GC), Kris Henderson (Bedrock GC), Jennifer Keim (Cummaquid GC), Krystal Knight (North Andover CC), Pam Kuong (Charles River CC) and Allison Paik (Cape Club of Sharon). All WCC Members and Guests are invited to follow the matches. You are sure to see some exceptional golf.