OSNABURG, Twp. – It’s a long, long drive from Clearview Golf Club to Pebble Beach, but Renee Powell feels close to the action.
For the first time, the US Women’s Open is being conducted at the fabled public course on the Pacific Ocean.
Powell, who operates Clearview, has played famed courses, notably “the home of golf,” St. Andrews in Scotland, where she is an honorary member.
She has never played Pebble Beach, which is No. 1 on the bucket list of numerous everyday golfers.
The allure is reflected by the cost of scheduling a Pebble Beach tee time. The only way to get one in advance is to book at least two nights at the on-site lodge.
The $625 golf fee plus two nights in the cheapest room amounts to $2,465, according to golf.com.
As for the world’s top women pros, Pebble Beach provides a showcase for Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie West, Rose Zhang and other notables past and present.
“It’s exciting,” Powell said. “The women are playing venues that they didn’t get to play a few years back.
“When they do that, the public is able to see the kind of golf that women professionals play. The women get the kind of credit that they should get.”
Powell grew up at Clearview, a dairy farm turned into a golf course by her father Bill in the late 1940s. It was the first course in the country designed, built and owned by an African-American.
In 1967, at age 21, Renee became the second African-American on the LPGA Tour, on which she competed for 13 years.
The driving distance from Clearview to Pebble Beach is about 2,600 miles. The distance between green fees is similarly immense. Clearview’s weekday rate for 18 holes and a cart is $39.
Clearview’s legacy is priceless.
Recently, Powell was in Kenilworth, New Jersey, as guest of honor at the LPGA Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit. The event, aimed at preserving Clearview, has raised $600,000 since its inception in 2021, according to the LPGA.
This isn’t the first year a big women’s golf tournament landed at Pebble Beach − Betty Jameson won the US Women’s Amateur there in 1940.
Mostly, Pebble Beach’s big events are associated with men, including US Open winners Jack Nicklaus in 1972, Tom Watson in 1982, Tom Kite in 1992, Tiger Woods in 2000, Graeme McDowell in 2010 and Gary Woodland in 2019.
Powell is optimistic about where women’s pro golf is headed, but she is bothered by a long-standing theme.
“They’re playing for more money than they’ve played for in the past,” she said. “It’s not what the men are playing for, and it’s still a shame that it’s not nearly what women should be getting.”
At the recent men’s US Open, champion Wyndham Clark won $3.6 million from a $20 million purse. The Women’s Open at Pebble Beach features the biggest purse in women’s golf history, $10 million, with the winner getting $1.8 million.
Next week’s Greater Toledo LPGA Classic has a prize pot of $1.75 million. This past weekend, Rickie Fowler pocketed $1.58 million as the winner’s share in the PGA Tour’s $8 million Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Meanwhile, at Clearview, an event featuring LPGA Tour members and honoring Franco Harris has been postponed until next year.
The Hall of Fame running back from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who died in December at age 72, was a longtime Clearview supporter.
“In talking to Franco’s wife, Dana, her request was that we wait until next year,” Powell said. “They want to bring in a lot of celebrities, entertainers and other athletes.
“Franco came to Clearview more than any other athlete over the years, going back to when my dad was living. He was such a loyal and gracious supporter of so many things we did.”
This article originally appeared on The Repository: US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach excites Clearview’s Renee Powell