Once all-male Augusta National to see first woman winner

AUGUSTA, Georgia: Augusta National Golf Club, an all-male enclave from its 1933 formation until 2012, will crown a historic first woman as a tournament champion on Saturday ahead of next week’s 83rd Masters.

The inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur will conclude with 30 players driving down fabled Magnolia Lane and competing over the legendary 18-hole layout. Two earlier rounds at nearby Champions Retreat were set to get underway on Wednesday, a global field of 72 fighting for the chance to play at Augusta National at the weekend.

“This championship is fantastic for women’s golf,” said Swedish 10-time major champion Annika Sorenstam. “Young girls are going to be energized and motivated by seeing this event unfold for years to come.”

The iconic course will be tested by top young women on the same week the LPGA Tour plays its first major championship of the year, the ANA Inspiration, at Rancho Mirage, California, with Augusta National aiming to establish its own classic tournament.

“I think it’s going to be wonderful for the world of golf,” said two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw. Augusta National saw a 2003 protest over its lack of female members but waited until August 2012 before ex-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and businesswoman Darla Moore broke the gender barrier at the club. “It’s just another step. Things at Augusta National don’t happen very rapidly,” said 1986 and 1987 US Women’s Amateur champion Kay Cockerill, now a television commentator.