Old Barnwell to Host 2031 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball

Old Barnwell, in Aiken, S.C., has been chosen by the USGA as the host site for 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 like the ANNIKA Foundation, the Evans Scholars Foundation and local historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Since opening, the club has hosted numerous NCAA events, such as the Derby Match Play 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 36-hole final of 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, when it is played in the Palmetto State later this year from May 2-6.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball was last conducted in South Carolina in 2017, when Furman University standouts 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 handicap does 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.