At 7:30 a.m. EDT on May 29, the first tee shots of the 2024 Sea Island Women’s Amateur were struck. These two drives, simultaneous from the first and 10th tees at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course, were special because they were more than just attempts to find the fairway. They began the first Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Series.
Coming two years after the first Men’s Elite Amateur Golf Series, this five-event summer stretch spanning the United States is revolutionary for high-level female amateur golfers. The goal is simple: bring the top amateur events and the top amateur golfers together to ensure the highest levels of competition in the collegiate offseason or, for some players, the summer before they attempt LPGA Q-School.
Top amateurs have the chance to accumulate points at Sea Island, the Southwestern Women’s Amateur, North & South Women’s Amateur, Women’s Western Amateur, and Ladies National Amateur in a race for the Women’s Elite Amateur Cup.
In the absence of monetary prize funds, tournament exemptions are on the line for the highest performers. At the end of this summer’s series, the top two players among the top 10 on the points list who are not otherwise exempt into the U.S. Women’s Amateur get to skip final qualifying. Exemptions into LPGA and Epson Tour events, also strong incentives, are to be announced.
“It’s exciting to see women’s golf have more opportunities at such a high level outside of college golf.”
Catie Craig, Western Kentucky
The consolidation of top amateurs means that even more World Amateur Golf Ranking points are on the line. The greater intensity of competition bodes well for the players.
Catie Craig, a rising senior at Western Kentucky and a Sea Island Women’s Amateur participant, said the Women’s Elite Amateur Series will “help me grow and challenge my golf game against great competitors. It’s exciting to see women’s golf have more opportunities at such a high level outside of college golf.”
The fact that Sea Island Golf Club gets to kick off this historic series is especially remarkable considering the inaugural Sea Island Women’s Amateur was played just three years ago. Sea Island’s Seaside Course had hosted the Jones Cup Junior and Senior Invitationals for top male amateurs for more than a decade, always wanting to introduce a female counterpart but never finding the right time until golf’s boom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the rich history and prestige of the Jones Cup Junior and Senior Invitationals, the first Sea Island Women’s Amateur filled only 68 of its 84 spots. The dearth of a field even came after tournament organizers sent promotional materials to women’s college golf coaches across the country – every school in NCAA Divisions I and II plus NAIA schools in the Southeast – and worked in close consultation with the Georgia and Alabama state golf associations to spread the word.
Hannah Levi-Armour, then at Mississippi State and now an Epson Tour player, won the inaugural tournament, contested in late July under the piercing south Georgia sun.
To adjust for the heat, players were allowed to have caddies, which had never been utilized in Jones Cup Junior and Senior invitationals (taking place in December and March, respectively). Tournament organizers also took extra care to provide snack and hydration stations, helping to protect players and maintain a high level of competition.
With another year to spread the word, the second edition of the Sea Island Women’s Amateur attracted 78 players, 10 more than in 2021 but still six short of maxing out the field. Like the first, it was contested in late July, and post-tournament player surveys demonstrated a desire to move the event to earlier in the summer.
Last year’s event, which was also the last to be held in July, was the first with a full field. The excitement and intensity of competition did not disappoint. The University of Kentucky’s Laney Frye fired a tournament-record 61 in the opening round, but Virginia Tech’s Morgan Ketchum shot a final-round 63 to make up eight strokes on Frye and win the title.
This year, more than 200 players applied for the 84 spots in the field – extraordinarily impressive for an event that could not even fill its tee sheet just a few short years ago. It speaks to the importance of the Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Series and what it brings to the amateur game, but also to the dedication of Sea Island to creating one of the premier events on the women’s amateur golf circuit.
Sea Island acted upon the desires of its players, from changing the tournament dates to adding more scoring stations so there are live leaderboard updates after every hole. The Sea Island Women’s Amateur is the perfect encapsulation for what happens when individuals want to invest in the growth of golf and provide opportunities for some of the world’s most talented players. Many of the top women’s amateurs are just now receiving the recognition and the chances they deserve, and it’s thanks to organizations like Sea Island.
“The goal is to continue to grow the strength of field, with the ultimate goal to have the strongest power ranking in women’s amateur golf,” tournament director Johann Emanuel said. “Our tournament staff work tireless hours to present the players with the best event possible.”
Andy Priest, the executive director of the Southern Golf Association and chairman of the Elite Amateur Golf Series, said: “Since day one, our goal has been to align the top competitive amateur events in the United States, not only for the men’s game but for the women’s game as well. We are excited to play a leading role in elevating elite women’s golf by providing these athletes with an aligned summer schedule of competition at some of the most renowned venues in the country conducted by historic organizations and world-class resorts.”
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Top: Clemson's Annabelle Pancake breezes to a four-shot victory on Sea Island's Seaside Course.
scott michaux, ggp