Brandi Chastain made her name playing soccer, but she also understands the allure, history and power of Pebble Beach.
As a young girl, Chastain joined her grandfather on walks around the big links during the tournament then known as the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. Cal “Gagi” Lillge told stories about Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, about Lee Trevino and Tom Watson, and Chastain listened intently. She and Lillge often sat beside the 18th fairway eating strawberry shortcake as golfers strolled by and enjoyed the panoramic ocean view.
A sight Chastain didn’t see as a child: women playing Pebble competitively. That will change this week when the course hosts the US Women’s Open for the first time in its 104-year history.
This counts as a milestone bigger than golf in many ways, an important and long overdue step for women’s sports. Pebble Beach is one of the world’s most famous sporting venues, a cultural landmark as much a symbol of California’s stunning coastline as a stage for major championships.
Now the best female players on the planet will finally compete there. Chastain drew a parallel to a similarly historic stadium in Pasadena, where she created her signature moment at the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
“I would say it’s like playing in the Rose Bowl,” she said. “The importance is the most important matches and the biggest matches are played in these places, but only by half the population. For us, it speaks volumes about the importance of the tournament and how we now look at women’s and women’s golf and where it should belong to at regular intervals.
“Honestly, our (male) counterparts are as supportive as anybody. They look at women golfers and I’m sure the consensus would be, ‘Of course they should play these courses.'”
This week’s Open will unfold at a time of striking growth in women’s sport, from the continued success of the WNBA to the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (the final will be held at the Sydney Olympic Stadium). In golf, several major tournaments go to prestigious courses – including the Women’s British Open in St. Andrews in 2013, the US Women’s Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco two years ago and the Women’s PGA Championship last month at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
Venues have a certain cachet in any sport, but they resonate even more in golf — Hall of Famer Juli Inkster often talks about how much it matters where you win. Bay Area native Paula Creamer set a good example when she won the 2010 US Women’s Open at Oakmont Country Club, a tradition-rich layout near Pittsburgh; four years later Michelle Wie (now Michelle Wie West) followed suit by lifting the trophy at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
Pebble Beach’s arrival on the scene, after years of false starts and stalling, should have a tangible impact on expanding the audience for LPGA players. NBC will televise next weekend’s third and fourth rounds in prime time on the East Coast (3 to 9 p.m. ET/noon to 6 p.m. PT), a first for women’s golf.
“People will tune in because it’s Pebble Beach, even if they’ve never seen an LPGA event in their lives,” said Morgan Pressel, a former major champion and now NBC’s lead analyst. “The two together are like a match made in heaven.”
Or, as Pressel’s colleague Tom Abbott put it, “This could be a game-changer for the LPGA and women’s sports, to be in prime time on such a special course.”
Pebble’s impact extends beyond its picturesque setting. The course occupies a prominent place in the sporting landscape given the Crosby-turned-AT&T Pro-Am, a unique tournament that blends the worlds of sports and entertainment. This event gives Pebble a regular presence on TV screens across the country every February.
It also helps that the United States Golf Association has made Pebble Beach one of the anchor sites for its various national championships. The Men’s US Open will return four times in the next two decades, the Women’s Open will be played there three more times in the next 25 years, and the US Senior Open and US Women’s Senior Open will take place at nearby Spyglass Hill in 2030.
However, this week’s event will break a barrier. Nicklaus, Watson and Tiger Woods are among the men’s major winners at Pebble, but the top women’s players haven’t had the chance in a championship environment until now. They haven’t played No. 7, the delicate downhill par-3 that juts into the ocean … or tackled the impressive approach shot over the cliff on No. 8 … or heard the waves crashing ashore while standing on the iconic 18th tee.
Now they will do all that, having created an unmistakable buzz on tour in the months leading up to this Open.
“There is incredible momentum right now for women’s sports, and all of us at Pebble and our partners want to be a big part of that momentum today and for years to come,” said Heidi Ueberroth, Co-Chair of the Pebble Beach Company Board of Directors. directors and thus one of golf’s most powerful women. “Hopefully it’s a one-of-a-kind championship and it continues to elevate the game.”
Chastain will be watching, and she won’t be alone. Her stepson Cameron Smith, then 11, was at the Rose Bowl in 1999 when Chastain scored the game-winning goal and tore off her jersey to celebrate. Smith grew up knowing that women played football at the highest level, in the biggest stadiums.
Fast forward to 2023 and he now has two daughters, ages 5 and 3. Chastain plans to take her grandchildren to Pebble one day this week to watch women play golf at the highest level, on the coolest course.
“I don’t think this is just for women’s sports — it’s an example that exclusion was an overarching theme (historically) and inclusion is not uncomfortable,” Chastain said. “We’re finally coming to terms with the fact that this is OK, it’s natural and (Pebble Beach) belongs to everyone.”
Reach Ron Kroichick: [email protected]; Twitter: @ronkroichick