Watanabe is the first woman to be president of the fabled club. And while Riviera already is regarded as among the best courses on the Professional Golfers Association Tour, it’s about to get a lot more traffic.
“We’ve always sought majors,” said Watanabe, who spent 10 years as vice president before taking over from her father, Noboru. “In 2017, we had the US Amateur and we continued to look for opportunities. We haven’t had the US Open since 1948.” “The things he talked about really interested me,” Watanabe said. “Because we have never hosted a women’s championship, it made sense. Also for the Olympics. I wanted the women to be comfortable and experience Riviera before the Olympics.”
Watanabe has not ruled out another US Open, which would seem like a long shot with the limited property at Riviera for the massive build-out the championship requires.