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For the past few years, the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship has served as a sort of kick-off to Masters week at Augusta National. This year, a new event gets to drum up the hype for the unofficial beginning of golf season: the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
With a week left until the event starts, we recap the must-knows:
WHEN, WHERE AND FORMAT
The first two rounds of the 54-hole event take place April 3-4 at nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The field will be cut to the top 30 players at that point.
On April 5, the whole 72-woman field will play a practice round on Augusta National before the 30 women inside the cut return Saturday April 6 for the final round on Augusta National, where a champion will be crowned.
FIELD
The 72-woman field represents the very best of women’s amateur golf. The majority of the field also represents a U.S. college, with a few juniors sprinkled in.
Full field list can be found here
Fifty-two of the players were selected according to their position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of 2018. Three players in the field gained entry according to major tournament wins (Ladies British Open Amateur, Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur and the Girls British Open Amateur).
The remaining 17 players were selected by the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship Committee.
It’s important to note that not every player who was eligible will be in the field. Because the ANWA runs up against the ANA Inspiration, the first major of the LPGA season,
a handful of players accepted invitations into that event instead.
Other top players, such as U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and former World No. 1 Lilia Vu, chose to turn professional.
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HOW TO WATCH
One of the most ground-breaking details of the ANWA is its reach. Women’s amateur golf is simply not broadcast on network television (that statement applies to amateur golf in general), but NBC Sports will provide three hours of live coverage from noon to 3 p.m. during the final round.
There is no better way than this for tournament organizers to show they’re serious about using this event as a platform to grow the game among young women.
In addition to the NBC Sports coverage, Golf Channel will also broadcast highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, particularly during the first two rounds at Champions Retreat.
As for watching live? The ANWA ticketing procedure operates much like the Masters, and patrons were able to apply for tickets late last year.
ON THE LINE
Perhaps the best perk for the winner is a guaranteed return to the ANWA (so long as she remains amateur) for the next five years. In addition to solidifying her spot at this tournament, the winner will also receive an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2019 Women’s British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.
GET PUMPED
The ANWA is a platform to promote women’s golf, but in the run-up to the event, ANWA social media has focused on promoting “groundbreaking moments” in women’s sports and other endeavors. Posts have included photos and anecdotes about female trailblazers, both historic and current.
They’ll send a chill through your spine as anticipation builds for an historic event.
ABOUT THE
Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA)
54-hole stroke-play tournament that will include a
72 player international field. The field will include
winners of other recognized tournaments while also
utilizing the Women's World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The first two rounds will be played at
Champions
Retreat Golf Club before the field is cut to the low 30
and ties for the final round at Augusta National.
The tournament will be played the week before
the
Masters, concluding on Saturday.
View Complete Tournament Information