Courtney Myhrum wears many hats at Senior Women's Open

It would hard to find a busier person working the United States Golf Association’s sixth Senior Women’s Open than Courtney Myhrum.

The Pittsburgh native and Fox Chapel Golf Club member is on the USGA Executive committee. She’s wearing many hats this week.

She will be a starter on the ninth hole Thursday and Friday. She also will be in scoring, helping players verify their scores at the end of their rounds.

“I love being the starter because I get to see all the players,” Myhrum said. “I started a lot of these players when I started at the U.S. Women’s Open.

“It also allows me to out on my Executive Committee Ambassador hat and meet with future sites. Meet with the leadership in the club. I’ve met with the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, and I’ll be around and promote the game.”

She said she’ll have some long hours.

“I have to hand over the trophy Sunday to the winner so I can get to my next obligation,” Myhrum said.

She will head to Paris on Monday so she can help referee the Women’s Olympic Championship, which she calls a privilege.

More than 2.43 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Fox Chapel, which forced the cancellation of practice. But that didn’t stop Myhrum from working.

She had a meeting in the afternoon, checked with the meteorologist on site and solved problems if they were any.

Working with the USGA and the membership at the club, Myhrum played an important part in bringing the tournament to Fox Chapel.

If it wasn’t for a pulmonary embolism three months ago, Myhrum would have attempted to play in the tournament. Myhrum has played in 16 USGA Championships.

But she’s just happy to help anyway she can.

“When I went to the board last year, I knew they wanted to bring in a championship,” Myhrum said. “I knew they were thinking about other associations.

“I also knew there was a slot available for this. I knew this was the championship that would really jell with the membership and with the golf course. It’s an easy walk in comparison to other courses. It’s certainly flat compared to others in the area in Western Pennsylvania.”

Myhrum said some of the players questioned her about the flatness of the course.

“I told them go across the street (Pittsburgh Field Club) or down the street,” Myhrum said. “Because this is such a classic golf course, it’s the kind of golf course that the majority of these players grew up playing, so it’s familiar. It feels like home.

“The membership will embrace them and vice a versa. Having the Constellation here for three years and being a co-chair for that, that was very disruptive. It was a lot of fun and a great way to get notoriety, not that we needed it. “

She also told the board that it would get the golf course back like they found it.

“It’s an intimate setting,” Myhrum said. “There are very little ropes. You can walk with the players.

“They are a very grateful bunch. They are so happy and so grateful they are great to be around. They will jell with the membership. You want something prestigious, this is the Open, but it doesn’t come with everything else.”

Being around the putting green, it was interesting to watch the interaction between the players. They were joking around. There here hugs and lively chatter.

“It’s like a reunion for them,” Myhrum said. “I call this the happy championship. They love being together. They are so grateful for a place to play and grateful to have it.

“The timing had to be right. It was a long time coming, and when we started it seven years ago it indicated the importance of this championship.”