121st PNGA Women’s Amateur being held at Olympia Country & Golf Club
Olympia, Wash. – The 121st Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship is set to be contested July 10-14 at Olympia Country & Golf Club in Olympia, Wash.
The championship begins with a field of 58 players playing 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on July 10-11, followed by a cut to the low 32 players who will advance to single-elimination match play.
The rounds of 32 and 16 will be held on Wednesday, July 12; followed by quarterfinals and semifinals on Thursday; with the championship match on Friday, July 14. Each match will be contested over 18 holes, with the exception of the final match, which will be played over 36 holes.
Championship links:
Last year’s PNGA Women’s Amateur was held at Salishan Golf Links in Gleneden Beach, Ore. Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle, Wash. won the championship with a 7&6 victory over Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C.
Players to watch for this year in the PNGA Women’s Amateur:
- Victoria Gailey of Tigard, Ore. – Recently finished her fifth year as a member of the University of Nevada women’s golf team. Won three tournaments during the 2022-23 college season and was named to the All-Mountain West First Team. Currently ranked No. 472 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
- Grace Lee of Bellevue, Wash. – Rising sophomore on the Gonzaga University women’s golf team. Placed 5th in the WCC conference championships and was named WCC Freshman of the Year. Finished runner-up at last month’s Washington Women’s Amateur.
- Yanjun (Victoria) Liu of Vancouver, B.C. – Rising junior on the Princeton University women’s golf team. Named the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and had five top-10 finishes during the 2022-23 college season. Currently ranked No. 200 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
- Michaela Morard of Huntsville, Ala. – Rising senior on the University of Southern California women’s golf team. Winner of 10 Alabama Golf Association state titles. Currently ranked No. 244 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
First held in 1899, the Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship is one of the oldest amateur golf championships in the world. Past champions include Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers who made up the Golden Age of female golfers in the Northwest such as JoAnne Carner, Jo Ann Washam, Pat Lesser Harbottle, Edean Ihlanfeldt, Violet Pooly Sweeney, Marcia Fisher, and Betty Jean Hulteng, among others. Past champions also include many others who would later go on to the LPGA Tour, such as Jimin Kang, Peggy Conley, Ruth Jessen and Shirley Englehorn.
The PNGA Women’s Amateur is one of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors and senior conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
About Olympia Country & Golf Club
The Olympia Country & Golf Club (OCGC) has a long history in Olympia. It was founded in 1917 and in 1925 the club was relocated to its current location on Butler Cove. It started as a 9-hole course and expanded to an 18-hole course in 1958. Known for its tight fairways and lightning-fast greens, the course has played host to Olympia families for generations.
