This week, the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) will take place, hosting a field of 72 skilled amateurs who will compete in 54 holes of stroke play for one of the most distinguished championship titles. Before watching the ANWA this week, here is what you need to know about the event and its competitors:
The ANWA was established in 2018 by Chairman Fred Ridley during his annual press conference at The Masters. The tournament was created with the hopes of drawing more attention to women in the sport of golf, and creating more excitement surrounding their accomplishments. The initial 36 holes of the tournament will be played on the Island and Bluff nines at the Champions Retreat Golf Club on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 30 players will move on after the cut on Thursday, playing a practice round as a full field on Friday. On the closing day, Saturday, the amateurs will compete at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club for their final 18 holes. The field of 72 players are all within the top 165 World Amateur Golf Rankings, or WAGR. This year, the first with an even split of 36 U.S. and international players. Ingrid Lindblad, native of Sweden and current LSU student, is sitting at World No. 1 for women’s amateurs. Anna Davis, who came in first place back in 2022 at 16 years old, will make what is her third appearance at the ANWA. Asterisk Talley is the youngest player to compete this year at age 15 and the 10th player younger than 16 to participate in the ANWA. Other honorable mentions include Rose Zhang, who turned pro in 2023, Rachel Heck, a Stanford University golfer, Emilia Migliaccio, the only player competing this year who has been in all five editions of the ANWA, and Zoe Campos, who is the top-ranked American in the women’s WAGR, coming in at 6th place.
The Junior Golf Hub team will be watching the ANWA especially close this year as Hub Member, Leigh Chien, will make her debut in the field. Hailing from Irvine, California, Chien is a Stanford commit and four-time junior all American. In 2016, she was a finalist in the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition and finished fourth in the Girls 10-11 division at Augusta National. Chien also finished 23rd at the Girls’ Junior Invitational in March at Sage Valley in South Carolina. In 2020, she won the California Women’s Championship and in 2021, the Dye Junior Invitational. This past year, Chien earned First-Team junior All-American honors, reaching the semi-finals of the U.S. Girl’s Junior, and represented the United States at the Junior Ryder Cup in Italy and the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain.
This year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur field is full of extremely accomplished young golfers, all boasting impressive achievements in their golf careers. The winner of the tournament will earn exemptions into three majors, the U.S. Women’s Open, the Chevron Championship, and the AIG Women’s Open, as well as an invitation to the next 5 ANWAs and any USGA, R&A, and PGA of America championship for one year, provided she is eligible and has an amateur standing.
Best of luck to all the amateurs competing this week, as we cheer on a strong field of players, including the Hub’s own, Leigh Chien!
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