LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 4, 2026) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Old Barnwell, in Aiken, S.C., will host the 2031 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
“We’re thrilled to bring this championship back to South Carolina and to initiate this partnership with Old Barnwell,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director of championships. “Old Barnwell’s commitment to thoughtful course design, player development and growing the game aligns perfectly with the values of this championship, and we’re confident it will provide an outstanding test for the competitors.”
A par-73 layout, Old Barnwell opened in 2023 and was designed by Brian Schneider and Blake Conant. Set across 575 acres of sandy soil and rolling hills, Schneider and Conant emphasized a blend of strategic, modern golf course design with elements of classical golf course architecture. The club also features a 15-hole kids’ course and plans to open a third course, The Gilroy, in 2027.
“Hosting a USGA championship is a tremendous honor for Old Barnwell, and one that aligns closely with our mission,” said Nick Schreiber, founder of Old Barnwell. “We are proud to welcome this group of players to Aiken and to partner with the USGA in delivering a championship that reflects our values, our community and our commitment to the future of the game.”
Old Barnwell is dedicated to creating programs that empower, invite and celebrate people and communities historically underrepresented in the game of golf. To do this, the club is partnered with organizations such as the ANNIKA Foundation, the Evans Scholars Foundation and local historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Since opening, the club has hosted numerous NCAA events, including the Derby Matchplay hosted by the University of South Carolina, which features eight of the top women’s college teams in the country, and the More Than Golf Invitational, a collaboration with the ANNIKA Foundation that brings together mid-major conference champions each year. In advance of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, Old Barnwell is set to host NCAA Regionals in 2027 and the Western Women’s Junior Amateur in 2028.
There have been 21 USGA championships contested in the state of South Carolina through the 2025 season. Most recently, Bryan Kim of Brookeville, Md., defeated New Zealander Joshua Bai in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, 2 up, at Daniel Island Club in Charleston. Daniel Island Club will also host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball from May 2-6.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball was last conducted in the Palmetto State in 2017, when Alice Chen and Taylor Totland defeated Sammi Lee and Mary Ellen Shuman, 4 and 3, at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach. The championship was first conducted in 2015 and is open to female amateur golfers whose handicaps do not exceed 14.4.
A starting field of 64 sides (128 players) play two rounds of stroke play, with the low 32 sides (64 players) advancing to match play. Five 18-hole rounds of match play will determine the champions. The winning side receives an exemption into that year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, which in 2031 will be held at Baltimore (Md.) Country Club. The champions are also exempt into any other USGA amateur competition for which they are eligible that year.
Future U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Sites:
2026 – Daniel Island Club, Charleston, S.C.
2027 – Farmington Country Club, Charlottesville, Va.
2028 – Blessings Golf Club, Johnson, Ark.
2029 – Desert Mountain Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.
2030 – Erin Hills, Erin, Wis.
2031 – Old Barnwell, Aiken, S.C.
2035 – Country Club of York, York, Pa.
2037 – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore.
About the USGA
The USGA is a mission-based golf organization whose purpose is to unify the golf community through handicapping and grassroots programs; to showcase the game’s best talent through the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally and 13 other national championships and our museum; to provide unbiased global governance with The R&A through the playing, equipment and Amateur Status rules; and to advance issues important to golf’s future, with a focus on driving sustainability, accessibility and inclusion. The USGA also manages day-to-day operations for the U.S. National Development Program, the country's first unified pathway for American talent, and the World Golf Hall of Fame, preserving and celebrating the legacies of the game’s greatest figures. As a nonprofit association, our work and our team are driven to act for the good of the game. For more, visit usga.org.