U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifying is set to commence at Rainier Golf & Country Club in Seattle, Wash. on Tuesday, May 20, as 55 players will look to earn one of the two available spots at this qualifier to advance to the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, which is being held June 19-22 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 course in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducts this qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship.
Among the names to watch for at Rainier G&CC are Karinn Dickinson of Mukilteo, Wash., the former University of Washington women’s golf team standout who won the 2012 Washington State Women’s Amateur, held that year at Rainier G&CC; Gabrielle Barker of Caldwell, Idaho, who represented Idaho in the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship; Mallory Kent of Tukwila, Wash., the reigning Washington State Women’s Amateur champion; Kendall Gray of Federal Way, Wash., the reigning Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur champion; Kimberly Kim of Hilo, HI, who twice was runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (2006, 2009); and Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C., the former standout at San Diego State who now plays on the Symetra Tour.
This sectional qualifier is being contested over 36 holes. For pairings, tee times and to follow along with live scoring, please visit www.thewsga.org.
The USGA accepted 1,702 entries for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Championship from 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 52 foreign countries.
The U.S. Women’s Open will be held at Pinehurst No. 2 the week after the U.S. Open. To be eligible, a female amateur player must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4, or be a professional. Sectional qualifying will be held at 24 sites throughout the U.S. and China, Japan, England and Korea from May 5-30.
The U.S. Women’s Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.