Page 37 - Westchester Golf Guide - May 2022

took home the first-place trophy. The club is best known, however, as the venue for the Westchester Classic, which began in 1967 with a win by Jack Nicklaus. An ugly dispute between the club and the PGA Tour marked the beginning of the end when the FedEx Cup was inaugurated by the playing of The Barclays in 2007. Steve Stricker won that event, joining a gallery of Classic winners that included nearly every outstanding player in the game. Vijay Singh won three times; Nicklaus, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, and Seve Ballesteros won it twice.
The most recent professional champion- ship to be played at WCC was the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major for-
merly known as the LPGA Championship. Inbee Park became only the second player to win the tournament three times in succession, tying Annika Sorenstam.
And more to come...
Westchester CC President Mark Christiana says, “The future of WCC is very bright. We continue to make investments in all areas of our facilities to meet the needs of current and future members.”
The success of the KMPG and the U.S. Wom- en’s Amateur drew the attention of the sport’s governing bodies. It wouldn’t be surprising to see announcements that Westchester Country Club will host more world-class events soon. •
Sports
Beyond
Golf
Paddle sports are far from an afterthought. Westchester CC maintains five pristine grass tennis courts in addition to
15 Har-Tru clay courts. Play
is available on indoor courts throughout the year. Paddle tennis is played on five newly renovated courts, while squash players use six singles courts and a doubles court at the club. More than a thousand members are regular tennis players — and that doesn’t count squash and paddle tennis. The squash facility regularly hosts National Junior Ranking Tournaments, along with both men’s and women’s professional events. The club hosted the prestigious Pro Flight Paddle Tour Finals, as well as the 2020 American Platform Tennis Association Mixed National Championships.
The WCC Beach Club is a world-class facility. Part of John Bowman’s original vision, the Beach Club was built on
62 acres he purchased on Manursing Island, in Rye, and opened in 1922 with a gala featuring a 25-piece orchestra and a formal fashion show. Today, the Beach Club features a sand beach on Long Island Sound, five separate food- and-beverage facilities, and arguably the largest swimming pool in Westchester. The 900,000-gallon saltwater Main Pool regularly hosts the Westchester County Swimming Association Championship. More than 2,000 members pack the Beach Club on Fourth of July weekend.
Golf at Westchester Country Club
Photo courtesy of Westchester County Historial Society WESTCHESTER GOLF 2022 35