FAR HILLS, N.J. (March 26, 2015) – The Country Club of Birmingham, in Birmingham, Ala., has been selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as the host site for the 2016 USGA Men’s State Team Championship. The club’s second USGA championship will be contested Sept. 28-30.

“The USGA looks forward to returning to the Country Club of Birmingham for the 2016 USGA Men’s State Team Championship,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “Based on the club’s rich history of contributing to amateur golf, we are confident it will provide a fantastic environment for this biennial team championship that brings together amateur players from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.”

Founded in 1898, the Country Club of Birmingham relocated from its original site in North Birmingham to Shades Valley, where two 18-hole courses were designed in 1926 by renowned architect Donald Ross. The 2016 USGA Men’s State Team Championship – the sixth USGA championship contested in Alabama – will use the West Course.

The Country Club of Birmingham hosted the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, won by Michael McCoy, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state and a Birmingham native, served as keynote speaker for the championship’s players’ dinner. The club has hosted nine Alabama State Amateurs and served as the companion course to Shoal Creek for the 1986 U.S. Amateur. The course also served as a sectional qualifying site for the 2012 and 2014 U.S. Junior Amateurs.

“The Country Club of Birmingham is pleased to have the opportunity to host the 2016 USGA Men’s State Team Championship,” said Jack Brown, club president. “Our club has a long history of supporting amateur golf, and the chance to host another USGA championship is a real thrill for our membership. We look forward to working with the USGA in planning what we hope will be a memorable event for all involved.”

The USGA Men’s and Women’s State Team Championships began in 1995 and have since been contested biennially. Beginning in 2010, Men’s State Teams have been contested in even-numbered years and Women’s State Teams in odd-numbered years. The championships are open to players from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. USGA-designated state and regional golf associations may use any criteria of their choosing in selecting their teams, which comprise three amateur, non-college golfers. 

The USGA Men’s State Team Championship is a 54-hole, stroke-play event contested over three days. In each 18-hole round, the total of the two lowest scores by players on each team constitutes the team score for the round. The three-day total is the team’s score for the championship. Alabama’s best finish in a Men’s State Team Championship came in 2005, when it finished second at Berkeley Hall Club’s South Course in Bluffton, S.C. Texas has claimed the championship a record four times: 1999, 2005, 2007 and 2014.