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Five Duke Golfers Set to Open ANWA Wednesday
4/2/2019 6:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C. — The wait and anticipation is over as five Duke University women's golfers will compete in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur April 3-6 in Augusta, Ga.
Senior Virginia Elena Carta, junior Ana Belac, sophomore Jaravee Boonchant, freshman Gina Kim and incoming freshman Erica Shepherd will tee off at the prestigious event.
With five different golfers seeing action, it is tied with Arizona State as the most among collegiate golf programs.
A field of 72 women amateurs will compete over 54 holes of stroke play. A cut will take place after 36 holes, advancing the leading 30 players to the final round at Augusta National Golf Club. In the event of a tie after 54 holes, the winner will be decided by sudden-death playoff.
The first 36 holes will be contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., April 3-4. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 5. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 6, and will feature the top 30 competitors who made the cut.
Wednesday's first round tee times get started with Carta (9:36 a.m., off No. 10), Kim (9:48 a.m., off No. 1), Belac (10:24, off no. 10), Boonchant (10:36 a.m., off No. 1) and Shepherd (11:00 a.m., off No. 10).
Thursday's second round will feature Shepherd (9:12 a.m., off No. 10), Boonchant (9:36 a.m., off No. 1), Belac (9:48 a.m., off No. 10), Kim (10:24 a.m., off No. 1) and Carta (10:36 a.m., off No. 10).
Carta, a native of Udine, Italy, currently owns a 73.00 stroke average on the season to go along with a tied for first placement at the Landfall Tradition to conclude the fall campaign. She is listed No. 31 in the latest Golfweek individual rankings and No. 86 in the World Amateur Golf ranking.
A product of Portoroz, Slovenia, Belac boasts a No. 47 ranking in the Women's World Amateur and No. 33 ledger in the Golfweek Individual rankings. In the fall, she tallied a 72.67 stroke average with two top five finishes and owns a team-best five rounds in the 60s.
Currently ranked 22nd in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking, Boonchant owns a team-best 72.29 stroke average to go along with five top 11 finishes out of seven tournaments. In the latest Golfweek Individual rankings, the Bangkok, Thailand sophomore is 10th, while ranking No. 22 in the Women's World Amateur rankings.
Kim, who is from Chapel Hill, N.C., owns a No. 41 listing in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking. She rounded out the fall with a tied for first placement at the Landfall Tradition with rounds of 72, 72 and 72 in Wilmington, N.C., for her first collegiate victory. She owns a 73.10 stroke average on the 2018-19 campaign.
One of top seniors in the 2019 class, Shepherd is No. 65 in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking. Shepherd, who hails from St. Charles, Ill., owns three amateur victories, including the 2017 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. She is also a four-time Rolex Junior All-America.
Provided she remain an amateur, the 2019 Augusta National Women's Amateur Champion will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women's Amateurs, the 2019 U.S. Women's Open, the 2019 Women's British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.
Live coverage of the Augusta National Women's Amateur will air on NBC from 12-3 p.m., Saturday, April 6. The Golf Channel will also provide on-site reports Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday leading up to and following the final round at Augusta National.
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