With so much focus being paid to The Masters this weekend at Augusta, the news that Augusta will be sponsoring a new event went a little unnoticed. But this new tournament is huge news, especially for women.
Augusta National announced that starting next year they will be sponsoring and hosting a new Women’s Amateur Championship. The event will include the top 72 female amateurs in the world and will finish up the one week before The Masters tees off. It will also be a 54-hole, stroke play tournament that starts on a Thursday and ends on a Saturday.
The full three rounds will not be played at Augusta National, however. The first 36 holes will take place at the nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club with the top 30 players moving on to play their final round at Augusta. The field for this event will be determined much like any other, through winning sponsored events and by World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan walks across the Nelson Bridge during a…
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan walks across the Nelson Bridge during a practice round prior to the start of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images
Augusta Chairman Fred Ridley shared his excitement for the event this week. “Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts left behind a legacy of always trying to contribute meaningfully to the game of golf,” Ridley said. “The Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship embodies that principle, and we believe this event will have a significant and lasting impact on the future of the women’s game.
This is a huge step for Augusta because it will now be the third sanctioned event that they will host in all professional golf associations. This is also a huge deal for female golfers, as it marks a big shift from previous policy at Augusta. It was only in 2012 when the course started accepting female members after having an all male member policy for several years.
The event isn’t set to take place until 2019 but it is already generating a lot of buzz in female golf circles. It will be a highly anticipated event that all of us will be looking forward to in the coming years.
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