Kansas City's Swope Memorial Golf Course To Host 2005 Women's Amateur Public Links Championship
February 4, 2004 Far Hills, N.J. - Swope Memorial Golf Course, operated by the parks and recreation department of Kansas City, Mo., has been selected by the United States Golf Association to host the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. The championship is scheduled from July 11-16.

Designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1934, Swope Memorial will be hosting its first USGA championship. The course has been operated since 1934 by Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation and was closed in 1989 to be restored to the first Tillinghast design of 1934. The course is named after Thomas H. Swope, an influential land developer, who donated the land for the park to Kansas City in 1896.

"It is exciting to host a golf championship of this magnitude at one of Kansas City's oldest and most beautiful public courses," said Kansas City's Parks and Recreation director Mark McHenry. "Swope Memorial will be celebrating its 71st birthday with many of the top amateur golfers in the country."

Swope Memorial ( http://www.swopememorialgolfcourse.com ) was the site of the PGA Tour's Kansas City Open in the 1940s. A hilly, tree-lined layout with small greens, Swope Memorial offers one of the most spectacular views of the Kansas City skyline in the area.

The Women's Amateur Public Links is open to female amateur golfers who since Jan. 1 of that calendar year, have been bona fide public course players and have not held privileges of any course that does not extend playing privileges to the general public; or privileges at any private club maintaining its own course. Previous champions of the Women's Amateur Public Links are LPGA Tour members: Danielle Amaccapane, Amy Fruhwirth, Pearl Sinn, Jill McGill and Candie Kung. Michelle Wie of Honolulu, Hawaii, won the 2003 title at age 13.

The 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links will be played at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club's Green Course in Williamsburg, Va., from June 22-29.

The USGA conducts 13 national championships each year, including the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open. Ten of these championships are strictly for amateurs. Visit USGA Championships for more information.