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Quail Creek to host Women's Open & Senior Open

December 6, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. Quail Creek Country Club, in Naples, Fla., will be the host site for the 2019 and 2020 Florida Women’s Open and Senior Open. The club played host to this year’s Women’s Open and Senior Open and both championships are set to return to Quail Creek on August 9-11, 2019, as well as in 2020.

"We are beyond excited to head back to Quail Creek for two more years,” Jenna Walkiewicz, director of women’s golf, said. “Their entire staff went above and beyond to put on a great show for our players in 2018 and it left a lasting impression. I can't tell you how exciting and rewarding it is to work with a facility that has the same goal as you; to conduct an incredible, first-class Championship."

Designed in 1981 by Arthur Hills, Quail Creek features two 18-hole courses named Quail and Creek, both courses are used for the playing of the Florida Women’s Open and Senior Open. In 2013, both courses were renovated by Kevin F. Leo, the director of golf courses and grounds at Quail Creek, with Hills serving as a consultant.

The club is currently undergoing a major facilities renovation with the project set to be finished in the fall of 2019.

The North Naples club was originally scheduled to be the host of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, but the championship was forced to be relocated to Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, due to damage Quail Creek sustained from Hurricane Irma.

Irma caused extensive flooding and damage to Quail Creek’s course and clubhouse, but both courses were fully operational just two and a half months later. The cleanup and renovation consisted of the complete rebuilding of all bunkers and the removal of more than 4,000 downed or damaged trees.

Last month, the United States Golf Association announced that Quail Creek will be the host site of the 2020 U.S Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. It will be the club’s first USGA championship and the first USGA championship to be held in Collier County.

Quail Creek credits the Florida State Golf Association for giving the club a chance to show how the courses had recovered after Hurricane Irma.

"I think the Florida State Golf Association gave us an opportunity to highlight how far the golf course had come after the hurricane," Don Hunter, the general manager at Quail Creek, said. "It really also highlights our mission as a club to be the best amateur facility in Southwest Florida -- the golf courses focused on amateur play at every level."

The 2019 Women’s Open and Senior Open will be the third playing of the championships, which were contested for the first time in 2017, where Sandra Changkija captured the Open Division and Barb Bunkowsky won the Senior Division at Reunion Resort and Club in Kissimmee, Fla. Sandra Angulo Minarro and Naples’ resident, Mary Jane Hiestand will defend their titles at next year’s championships.

Entries open for next year’s Florida Women’s Open and Senior Open on January 9 at 8 a.m.