Old Waverly Golf Club is gearing up to host one of the largest events in women’s golf this year.
The West Point club will host the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur tournament from Aug. 5-11.
Old Waverly Chief Operating Officer Wilkes Bryan told the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday the Women’s Amateur is the largest and most prestigious women’s golf tournament in the world.
“Many of these women play in these and go pro,” she said. “A lot of them play in this and go pro the next year, and some play amateur for the rest of their lives.”
Chris Jester, director of golf for Old Waverly, said the U.S. Women’s Amateur tournament was founded in 1895 and was one of the first three major amateur championships the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) created.
The tournament will feature 156 contestants from around the world. Jester said most will qualify in the U.S., and getting into the field is fiercely competitive — 2,377 players attempted to qualify for 2017’s tournament.
Most of the field, Jester said, will be collegiate — the average age is about 19 years old — but there will be a broad age range represented.
“There will be some 13- and 14- and 15-year-olds who qualify for this,” he said. “You’ll have from 12 to 50.”
Jester said the tournament is important for a number of reasons. It helps to grow the game of golf, and women’s golf in particular, in Mississippi. In doing so, he said, it also provides exposure for the Golden Triangle.
“We’re going to have some 20 hours of televised coverage on FoxSports,” he said. “Any attention we can bring on our area is a good thing. That’s not to mention the economic impact. We’re having 156 competitors and some 100 USGA officials, but you’re having families and friends who are all staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants, getting gas — it’s a huge economic impact on our area and that means a lot to us.”
Bryan said this year’s tournament is a continuation of Old Waverly’s support for women’s golf. The tournament hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1999.
“I think in a five-day period 20 years ago we had close to 130,000 people come through Old Waverly,” he said.
Hosting tournaments helps Old Waverly maintain a good relationship with the USGA, and Bryan noted that will probably lead to larger events in the future. He said the club hopes to host big championships every 10 to 12 years.
Old Waverly is seeking about 300 volunteers for the tournament, and Jester said more information about volunteering can be found on oldwaverly.com.
He also pointed out the tournament will have free admission, and the golf club is encouraging the public to come out and support the women who will be playing.
“Getting your ticket is not going to be a problem,” he said. “But getting the fans out to watch these young ladies really means a lot. That’s the kind of thing our supporters like to see. That’s the kind of thing the USGA likes to see, the actual number of people that come out.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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