NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt student-athletes Abbey Carlson and Auston Kim have been invited to play in the second annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur which will be held April 1-4.
Carlson, a senior from Lake Mary, Florida, and Kim, a sophomore from St. Augustine, Florida, will join an international field of 72 amateurs for the 54-hole, stroke-play tournament. The event will include a cut after 36 holes with the leading 30 players advancing to the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, the annual site of the Master’s Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
Carlson and Kim will become the first Commodores to compete in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur which received excellent reviews in its inaugural edition.
“I am so excited for Abbey and Auston earning this opportunity,” Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen said. “Augusta National – it’s the place that every golfer dreams of playing. What a great honor and privilege. We look forward to seeing them represent Vanderbilt in this prestigious event.”
Carlson is a two-time All-Southeastern Conference performer who represented the United States at the 2019 Palmer Cup competition. A medalist at the 2018 Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tennessee, Carlson has a pair of top-10 finishes this fall including a runner-up result at the 2019 Mason Rudolph.
Last fall she owned a 72.1 stroke average in four competitions.
Kim qualified for the United States Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur as a Commodore freshman. An individual winner at last season’s NCAA Auburn Regionals, Kim set Vanderbilt’s 54-hole scoring record when she posted a 16-under-par 200 to win the Cougar Classic by seven strokes in September.
Kim’s 71.42 stroke average during the recent fall campaign tops the Vanderbilt lineup.
The opening two rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be contested April 1-2 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round April 3. The final round, featuring the top 30 competitors, will take place at Augusta National on April 4.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, provided she remains an amateur, will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women’s Amateur editions, the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2020 Women’s British Open and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.
NBC Sports will produce three hours of live final-round coverage at Augusta National. NBC Sports will also provide pre-event promotion across NBCUniversal’s portfolio, while Golf Channel will deliver highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, including on-site during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat. Additionally, Golf Channel’s “Live From the Masters” program will commence on April 3 from Augusta National and wrap ANWA coverage on April 4.
In 2019, world No. 1 amateur Jennifer Kupcho became the first Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion. Kupcho made an eagle and three birdies over the closing six holes to out-duel runner-up Maria Fassi of Arkansas.
