GOLF, Ill. (July 12, 2019) – The 119th Western Women’s Amateur will be held July 15-20 at Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, Illinois.

Held without interruption since 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest annual championships in women’s amateur golf. It attracts many of the top amateur and collegiate golfers throughout the world.

Among the leading amateurs in the 2019 field are:

  • Megan Furtney of South Elgin, Illinois, an incoming freshman at Duke University who also competed in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open
  • Lauren Hartlage of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, an All-ACC honoree at Louisville and Honorable Mention All-America
  • Ela Bélen Anacona of Buenos Aires, Argentina, an Arkansas signee
  • Lauren Beadreau of Lemont, Illinois, an incoming freshman at The University of Notre Dame

The list of past champions spans more than a century, from legendary stars Patty Berg (1946, 1947), Nancy Lopez (1976), Beth Daniel (1978) and Cristie Kerr (1994) to modern stars such as Brittany Lang (2003), Stacy Lewis (2006) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2012).

“It’s an honor to chair the 2019 Women’s Western Amateur,” said Susan Buchanan, tournament chairman. “This is a special tournament, and we’re proud to be celebrating 119 years of women’s championship golf.”

This will be the first Women’s Western Golf Association Championship hosted by Royal Melbourne.

Designed by PGA TOUR legend Greg Norman – with architect Ted Robinson and KemperSports designer Bob Spence – Royal Melbourne makes the most of surrounding wetlands, ponds, prairies and trees to create a challenging test. The championship track will require players to execute a variety of shot-making skills.

“On behalf all of our members, it’s an honor for us to host the best women amateurs from around the country at one of our flagship properties,” said Josh Lesnik, KemperSports president.

Administered by the Western Golf Association in partnership with the WWGA, the Women’s Western Amateur will feature a field of 120 players with a USGA Handicap of 5.4 or less. The Women’s Western Amateur begins with 36 holes of stroke play on Tuesday and Wednesday of tournament week. The field is then trimmed to the top 32 players for match play. The championship match will be contested on Saturday, July 20, on the third and final day of match play.