Olarra Invited to Play in Women’s Amateur at Augusta National

Official Augusta National Women’s Amateur Website

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Former Gamecock golfer Ainhoa Olarra has received an invitation to play in the inaugural Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. 
 
The week before the Masters Tournament, the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be played April 3-6, 2019. Olarra has not officially accepted the invitation to the 54-hole stroke play tournament, but will make her decision before the field is officially announced in the coming weeks. 
 
Olarra boasted a historic senior campaign for Carolina in 2018 after posting the lowest single-season stroke average (71.00) in program history. She captured individual titles at the 2018 Florida State Match-Up and 2018 SEC Championship and closed the season with a team-high five top-five showings. Olarra ranks second all-time among Gamecocks in career scoring average (73.44) and career wins (2), and her 12 top-10 finishes stand as the eighth-best total in school history.
 
Provided she remains an amateur, the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women’s Amateurs, 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.
 
In 2019, the first two rounds will take place at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. After a cut to the low 30 scores, the final competitive round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 6, when an amateur champion will be crowned for the first time ever at the home of the Masters.
 
The event is expected to be televised and will be distributed on digital platforms around the world. Daily tickets onto the grounds of Augusta National for the final round will also be made available through a random selection process that will be announced by the tournament at a later date.
 
The top 30 players from the United States based on their Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of 2018 (who are not otherwise qualified), also make up a portion of the field. The next 30 highest ranked players from around the world (who are not otherwise qualified) will also be in the field. The remaining six spots in the field of 72 will be filled by invitation from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship Committee.