Waverly gears up for U.S Women’s Amateur

In the heart of the Mississippi Black Prairie Old Waverly Golf Club’s fairways and greens have been carved out of what was once 360 acres of nature and pasture and into a majestic host for the 2019 U.S Women’s Amateur Championship.

While this isn’t the first major tournament that Old Waverly has played host to, two United States Golf Association events prior as the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid Amateur were played there.

The 6,502-yard-long course with a 72 par will test 156 players from Aug. 5 to Aug. 11 with the first two rounds being stroke play and a cut will be made to 64 players for match play.

Five 18-hole round of match play will determine the finalist who will play in a 36-hole championship match.

Since March of 2017 when it was first announced that Old Waverly was hosting the event Rachel Sadowski, USGA Championships director, said they began working with the course to get it ready.

“The number one factor to be able to host a championship is always the golf course,” Sadowksi said. “We want to make sure we can present a comprehensive examination of these girls games. To make sure that this is going to be a great test of golf and that the golf course is of the right caliber to host a national championship.”

Old Waverly has a course rating of 78 and a slope rating of 150, 155 is the highest on the USGA scale for slope rating, it will certainly pose a test for players as well as the summer heat in the grueling 3-4 hours it takes to play the course.

Sadowski, who played golf in college at Coastal Carolina, said this tournament will be the greatest test of golf for these players all year as well as what the winner can get out of it is pretty important.

“They will get an exemption into the Women’s Open this year,” Sadowski said. “It really propels their game, this will be the toughest test of golf that they see all year. They get to test themselves in that environment and see if they are capable of going on into professional golf.”

Currently, Mississippi State University’s men’s and women’s team call Old Waverly home and they each have hosted the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship since 2013

Old Waverly is located outside of West Point and Sadowski said the public is welcome to come watch the tournament as there are no ticket sales or fee to come in. The rounds starting August 7th through August 11th will be broadcasted on Fox Sports One.

“They just want to get as many people out here and watch these girls as possible,” Sadowski said. “Anyone that wants to come out they are absolutely welcome, there will be concessions available for them as well.”