Queenslander Emily Mahar has earned an invitation to compete in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, making it two Australians in the field for the first time in tournament history.
Mahar, 22, joins West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley at the prestigious tournament, which begins on March 30, based on her top-60 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) status – she is currently ranked No.45 in the world, one place behind Rudgeley.
Hailing from Brisbane, Mahar is in her fifth year of university at Virginia Tech and the Keperra Country Golf Club member has been lighting up the collegiate golf circuit in recent times with a run of five consecutive top-ten finishes which include a runner-up, a third place finish and a school-record seven-under round of 65.
“I’m super excited about the phone call I just received,” Mahar told Virginia Tech Athletics website, Hokie Sports. “I’ve been working so hard this semester and the past few years, and it’s pretty cool to see it all finally paying off.”
This latest accolade follows Mahar’s outstanding efforts last year to qualify for the US Women’s Open and reach the quarter-finals of the US Women’s Amateur.
The tournament consists of 54 holes of stroke play and after 36 holes the field of 72 will be cut down to 30. The first two rounds will be played at the Champions Retreat Golf Club before play moves to Augusta National for the final round.
In addition to playing at the home of The Masters, the champion receives a start in two majors this year – the 2022 US Women’s Open and the 2022 Women’s British Open – as well as entry into any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for one year, provided they remain an amateur.
This week will be the third time the tournament has been staged following its debut on the amateur schedule in 2019 – it was unable to be played in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and Mahar and Rudgeley join Julienne Soo (2019) and Grace Kim (2021) as Australians to have taken part.
Follow the scores here.