You wouldn’t know it by the media coverage but the U.S. Women’s Amateur was played last week at Eugene Cee Cee and won by Duke standout Amanda Blumenherst.
The course was no Oakland Hills (who needs that anyway?) but it was set up with enough 3″ rough and slick-stimp-i-ness to register a 78.1 course rating, enough to send me to the trunk at the turn for more pellets I can promise.
She was in the final last year and you can check out my musings on last year’s event here.
I too was riveted by the ending of yesterday’s PGA Championship and quite frankly forgot about the ladies…what a shame…why?
Because they were fighting it out for what is, without a doubt, The Best Trophy In Golf. The Masters is OK, The US Open, and I know I know The Claret Jug filled with Guinness.
The fact is the women’s trophy (above) is the oldest original trophy in the game. The 
stories are a bit sketchy on what happened to the originals for the other championships but I can use my imagination if I want.
This from the USGA’s website on the fate of the first U.S. Open trophy, “The trophy was destroyed by fire at Lloyd Mangrum’s home club in 1946 so a replica was ordered to replace it.”
C’mon there has to be a better story than that. Something like:
“It was New Year’s Eve, 1946, the Great War finally over. In high spirits, and awaiting the return of their gallant warrior husbands, several of the ladies of the club began a wet frock contest while consuming copious amounts of flaming tequila cocktails.
After midnight the event got quite out of hand when Mrs. I.M. Oavapah took a swing at the club’s new Tennis Pro, Dick Pukenburg IV. A melee ensued and one of the flammable concoctions was dropped on the bearskin rug installed that very morning and the rest is history…a fire engulfed the mixed grill destroying the US. Open trophy…a total loss.”
Lloyd was both judge and bartender…at least I would like it better if that were so.
So hail to the Women’s Am trophy…The Best In Golf.
