Kyra Ly and Lauren Kim receive invites to 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Kyra Ly of Portland, Ore. and Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. have both received invitations to compete in the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), to be held from April 1-4 at Champions Retreat Golf Club and Augusta National Golf Club. The championship was established in 2019 and, save for 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic), has been held every year since.
The 54-hole stroke play event was established to promote a higher level of participation and interest around women’s golf and presented on a high-profile stage, with the championship held on the days leading up to the Masters Tournament. The first two rounds will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the Island and Bluff nines at nearby Champions Retreat. On Friday, an official practice round will be held at Augusta National for all 72 players. The field will then be cut to the top 30 players and ties from the first two rounds, who will then play Saturday’s final round at Augusta.
In recent years, both Kyra and Lauren have certainly done plenty to earn their cordial invitations described in their green invitation letters this year. Kyra, 21, a senior at Oregon State University, won the 2025 Oregon Women’s Amateur, a championship she also won in 2023. She’s taken three additional individual collegiate titles while clad in the Beavers’ black and orange, results that contribute to her being ranked No. 92 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Prior to college, Kyra’s junior career yielded much of the same success, as she three times earned Oregon Junior Player of the Year honors. She won four national junior tournaments and qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
As she approaches the end of her collegiate career, Kyra figures to contend for another grand prize in women’s amateur golf at Augusta.
Lauren Kim will be marking her third consecutive start in the championship.
Currently ranked No. 18 in the world, she’s been one of the game’s best for quite some time now. In 2025, she was named the 2025 PNGA Women’s Player of the Year, earning the honor for a third consecutive year, and has previously been named PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year. Her season also included a third place finish in the Big 12 Championship, a fifth in the Canadian Women’s Amateur, and a Round of 16 berth in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Lauren is a member of Team Canada, a high-performance program administered by Golf Canada.
Now a junior on the University of Texas women’s golf team, Lauren figures to continue the level of golf that has earned her three ANWA appearances.
Winners of the ANWA earn exemptions into the next five championships (provided they maintain their amateur status), as well as the current U.S. Women’s Open, AIG Women’s Open, Chevron Championship and Evian Championship majors. They’d also qualify for any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which they’d be eligible for one year.
Jennifer Kupcho, who has since turned pro and won four LPGA Tour titles including the 2022 Chevron Championship, won the inaugural running seven years ago. Other previous champions include, from 2021, Tsubasa Kajitani, Anna Davis, Rose Zhang, Lottie Woad and 2025 Champion Carla Bernat Escuder.
