The field is set for the 21st Washington State Women's Amateur Championship, which will be held at Port Ludlow (Wash.) Golf Club on June 24-26. Being held concurrently at Port Ludlow are the 15th Washington State Senior Women's Amateur and the Inaugural Washington State Super Senior Women's Amateur. The championships are being conducted by the Washington State Golf Association. The first tee time is set for tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.
The Washington State Women's Amateur is the state's premier amateur championship for women golfers, and traditionally attracts the region's finest players. Players to watch for include defending champions Mallory Kent of Tukwila, Wash., who just finished her senior year playing on the women's golf team at Washington State University; and Jordan Ferreira of University Place, Wash., who tied for second in last year's championship, was named the 2012 WSGA Junior Girls' Player of the Year, and last month set a new women's course record at Seattle's Rainier G&CC in taking medalist honors in qualifying for this year's U.S. Women's Open.
Past champions have gone on to make their mark in the golf community, and include Paige Mackenzie (2002), a member of the University of Washington Athletic Hall of Fame who finished her senior year ranked the No. 1 golfer in the nation by Golfweek, and who currently plays on the LPGA Tour; Kelli Kamimura (2001), a former four-time high school state champion and All-American at the UW, who now is the head coach of the women's golf team at Washington State University; Jimin Kang (1999), who was the runner-up at the 1999 U.S. Women's Amateur while still in high school, and who now plays on the LPGA Tour; Molly Cooper (1997, 2000), who was the medalist at the 2000 U.S. Women's Amateur qualifier, and who now is the Director of Tournament & Member Programs at the Pacific Northwest Section PGA; Renee Skidmore (2005), who recently competed on the Golf Channel's Big Break series; and Erynne Lee (2011), who was selected the WSGA Women's Player of the Year in three consecutive years, made it to the quarterfinals or better of the U.S. Women's Amateur three times, and is now a rising star on the UCLA women's golf team.
Lisa Smego of Olympia, Wash. will return to defend her title in the 15th Washington State Senior Women's Amateur. Last year, her victory in the championship was key in earning the 2013 WSGA Senior Women's Player of the Year honors. Smego has also won this championship in 2006 and 2007. Strong contenders in this year's field are Ann Swanson of Bellevue, Wash., a member of the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame who won this championship in 2000, 2001 and 2008; Alison Murdoch of Victoria, B.C., who is also a member of the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame and won this championship in 2010; Ginny Burkey of Fircrest, Wash., who won the championship in 2011 and was selected the WSGA Senior Women's Player of the Year in 2009 and 2011; and Yasue Alkins of DuPont, Wash., who won this championship in 2009 and 2012.
The format for these championships calls for 54 holes of stroke play.
