U.S. Women's Amateur Overview


The nation's oldest women's amateur golf championship began Monday at Rhode Island Country Club. This will mark the fifth USGA championship held at the club in Barrington.

The U.S. Women's Amateur was first conducted in 1895, shortly after the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The Women's Amateur has taken place every year except 1917-18, when it was temporarily suspended because of World War I, and in 1942-45, when it was suspended because of World War II.

The Schedule

Starting Monday August 8, the event involves 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play. The tournament will conclude in a 36-hole championship match on Sunday, August 14. The schedule is as follows:

Aug. 8 (Monday) - First round of stroke play
Aug. 9 (Tuesday) - Second round of stroke play
Aug. 10 (Wednesday) - First round of match play
Aug. 11 (Thursday) - Second and third rounds of match play
Aug. 12 (Friday) - Quarterfinals, match play
Aug. 13 (Saturday) - Semifinals, match play
Aug. 14 (Sunday) - 36-hole championship final, match play

Course & USGA Set-Up

Designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1911, Rhode Island Country Club will be set up at 6,399 yards for stroke play, and 6,350 yards for the match-play portion. The course will play to a par of 36-35=71. The greens will run at 11 to 11½ feet on the Stimpmeter for the championship.

The Players

Danielle Kang is the defending champion. The resident of Thousand Oaks, Calif., now 17, forged a 2-and-1 victory over Jessica Korda, 17, of Bradenton, Fla., at the par-72, 6,559-yard Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club. Kang, who earned stroke-play medalist honors at the 2009 Women's Amateur and the 2010 U.S. Girls' Junior and made the cut at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, made a 4-footer for birdie on the 35th hole to claim her first national championship.

Forty-five players are fully exempt into this U.S. Women's Amateur by virtue of their play in past events, including the U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Women's Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, U.S. Women's Open, USGA Senior Women's Amateur, U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, the Curtis Cup, the Women's World Amateur Team Championship, the Ladies' British Open Amateur, the Women's Mexican Amateur and the Canadian Women's Amateur.

The exempt players include:

Amy Anderson (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Dottie Ardina (2011 U.S. Girls' Junior runner-up; 2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers)
Rebecca Lee Bentham (2011 Canadian Women's Amateur champion)
Doris Chen (2010 U.S. Girls' Junior champion; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Holly Clyburn (2010 GB&I Curtis Cup Team)
Emily Collins (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Brianna Do (2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion)
Marissa Dodd (2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links runner-up)
Lindy Duncan (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Austin Ernst (2011 NCAA Division I women's individual champion)
Alexandra Frazier (2010 USGA Senior Women's Amateur runner-up)
Mariel Galdiano (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Mina Hardin (2010 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion)
Sherry Herman (2009 USGA Senior Women's Amateur champion)
Ariya Jutanugarn (2011 U.S. Girls' Junior champion; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Moriya Jutanugarn (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Danielle Kang (2010 U.S. Women's Amateur champion; 2010 Women's Open - made cut; 2010 USA Women's World Amateur Team; 2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers)
Jihee Kim (2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers)
Jennifer Kirby (2010 U.S. Women's Amateur semifinalist; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Stephanie Kono (2009 Women's Amateur quarterfinalist; 2010 USA Curtis Cup Team; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Martha Leach (2009 Women's Mid-Amateur champion)
Erynne Lee (2010 Women's Amateur quarterfinalist; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Tiffany Lim (2010 U.S. Women's Open - made cut)
Xi Yu Lin (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Tiffany Lua (2009 U.S. Women's Amateur semifinalist; 2010 USA Curtis Cup Team)
Brittany Marchand (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Lisa McCloskey (2010 U.S. Women's Open - made cut; 2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers; 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Chelsea Mocio (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Kristen Park (2010 U.S. Women's Amateur quarterfinalist)
Sophia Popov (2010 International European Ladies champion)
Paula Pretswell (2010 GB&I Curtis Cup Team)
Margarita Ramos (2011 Women's Mexican Amateur champion, 2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Manuela Carbajo Re (2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers)
Carol Robertson (2010 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur runner-up)
Rachel Rohanna (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Kelly Shon (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Meghan Stasi (2010 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion; 2008 USA Curtis Cup Team)
Emma Talley (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Victoria Tanco (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Lauren Taylor (2011 Ladies' British Open Amateur champion)
Gabriella Then (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Emily Tubert (2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion)
Sally Watson (2008, 2010 GB&I Curtis Cup Teams)
Christine Wolf (2011 U.S. Women's Open qualifier)
Christine Wong (2010 U.S. Women's Open - made cut; 2010 Women's World Amateur Team - low eight individual scorers)

In addition to the U.S., there are 10 foreign countries represented at the 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur: Argentina, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Scotland and Thailand (note: only includes fully exempt players who have entered).

The players will be vying for the Cox Cup, which was first presented in 1896 by a member of Britain's Parliament, Robert Cox, of Gorgie, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the only USGA trophy donated by a person from another country and is the oldest survivor among trophies for USGA championships.

TV & Internet Access

Golf Channel will air the match-play portion of the U.S. Women's Amateur. The broadcasts will take place from 3 to 5 p.m.(EDT) from Wednesday through the championship match on Sunday.

Live scoring will be available at http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScoringIndex.aspx?eid=17179869348&year=2011&id=2147494019.

The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.