Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Shannon Rouillard, U.S. Women’s Open Championship director, speaks with the media at Shoal Creek on Dec. 18. Shoal Creek will play host for the USGA Women’s Open in May and June.
This spring, the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament is expected to bring around 100,000 people to Birmingham over the course of a few days, according to those organizing the event.
The U.S. Women’s Open will take place at the Shoal Creek Country Club from May 31-June 3, but Championship Manager John Coppins, has been in Alabama since September 2016 working to get the logistics of the championship squared away. Coppins said that those involved in the Women’s Open and the Birmingham community can expect to see positive results from the championship’s location.
“This championship is one that we don’t take it anywhere unless we’re invited,” Coppins said. “The club invited the USGA to host the Women’s Open here. It was a fit. Not only from a golf course perspective, but also from a community support and host club standpoint.”
This is the 73rd U.S. Women’s Open, and the first time the tournament will be held in Alabama. It is open to amateur and professional golfers, and of the around 150 players involved, Coppins said about 60-65 will be amateurs who qualify to participate in the tournament.
The Women’s Open is also expected to attract 2,000 volunteers, 500 credentialed media members and more than 100,000 spectators, Coppins said. Community members can get involved in the tournament by signing up to volunteer for one of the 19 different committees that the U.S. Women’s Open has available, he said.
“[It’s] an experience [to be] a part of a once in-a-lifetime or generation championship at Shoal Creek,” Coppins said.
Birmingham will also see a large increase in worldwide visibility thanks to media coverage of the Open, Coppins said.
“[You can have] a chance to be apart of a large scale community event that is broadcasting domestically 28 hours on Fox Sports and then broadcasting to over 100 countries worldwide,” Coppins said. “You’ll have the eyes of the golfing world on Birmingham.”
Coppins said that all of this attention and added foot traffic in Birmingham is expected to bring between $15 million to $20 million in revenue to the region, across Birmingham and Shelby County.
