USGA championship trophies were displayed at Tuesday’s press conference at the Villa Pazzetti at Saucon Valley Country Club. The club and the USGA jointly announced that Saucon Valley will host five USGA championships between 2026 and 2051, including the 2032 and 2042 U.S. Senior opens.
Good things came in five for Saucon Valley Country Club Tuesday.
Club officials were joined by officials from the United States Golf Association (USGA) at the Villa Pazzetti to announce that five upcoming championships will be played on Saucon Valley’s legendary courses in Upper and Lower Saucon townships.
The biggest tournaments announced are the 2032 and 2042 U.S. Senior opens. The club will also host the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2038 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 2051 U.S. Amateur.
Saucon Valley Country Club has a history of hosting USGA championships that dates back to 1951, and the 2051 U.S. Amateur will be played on the 100th anniversary of Billy Maxwell’s 4-and-3 victory over Joseph F. Gagliardi on the Old Course, a news release noted.
Last year SVCC its eighth USGA championship–the 42nd U.S. Senior Open–in which Padraig Harrington became the first player from the Republic of Ireland to claim the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy. Other championships played at Saucon Valley include the 1992 and 2000 Senior opens, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
“What a history and heritage of championships we have here,” said SVCC board member Ted Eichenlaub at Tuesday’s press conference.
Eichenlaub noted that the hosting of five more championships at Saucon Valley Country Club will benefit residents and businesses in the area whose support for the club is vital.
With the additional five, Saucon Valley will become the fourth leading country club for hosting USGA championships and the Pennsylvania club with the most championships hosted, he said.
USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer speaks at Tuesday’s news conference at the Villa Pazzetti at Saucon Valley Country Club.
“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 USA 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.”
According to the news release, as of 2022 a total of 90 USGA championships have been played in Pennsylvania. Several are scheduled to be played here in the next few years, including the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Stonewall in Elverson, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster 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 Country Club in Oakmont.
Saucon Valley Country Club was founded in 1920 and has been a prestigious venue for golf for most of the last century.
The Villa Pazzetti at Saucon Valley Country Club was the setting for a major announcement by the club and the United States Golf Association (USGA) Tuesday. The venue is named for Vincent “Vince” Pazzetti (1890-1972), a 1915 Lehigh University alumnus, College Football Hall of Fame member and Bethlehem Steel Corp. executive who served as the fourth president of Saucon Valley Country Club.
