Women's Western Am even more elite now

Writing from Lake Forest, Illinois

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The Women’s Western Amateur casts a long and flattering shadow in the history of American golf. It’s the oldest continuously-played golf championship in the country, contested each year, notwithstanding the machinations of the Kaiser or Hitler or a pair of pandemics a century apart, since 1901. It’s second in prestige within the circle of those who play it only to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which is a scant six years older. And this year, the quality of the field has been boosted by the creation of the Women’s Elite Amateur golf series, mirroring the one started a few years ago on the men’s amateur side.

The 120 players in this year’s 124th championship comprise most of the elite in women’s amateur golf, and Wednesday’s leader board was a vivid pronouncement of that. At mid-afternoon, with half the field still on the course at the Onwentsia Club, the top three players were Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, at 8-under-par 136, Western Kentucky’s Catie Craig, whose 5-under 67 was the best round of the day and placed her second at 7-under 137, and 2022 runner-up Annabelle Pancake, the recent Clemson grad standing at 6-under 138.

All three of that trio likely would have teed it up regardless of the new series, which has added such baubles as an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the winner. But the middle of the field has markedly improved, which augurs well for a most competitive match play portion of the championship beginning Thursday among the 32 survivors and continues through Saturday’s finale.

“Our No. 115 player can beat our No. 1 player now if she qualifies,” said WWGA president Susan Buchanan. “It has definitely helped the field. We have the strongest field we’ve ever had and haven’t really done anything differently on our end.

“Having the Eilte Amateur series brings in the top players because they want the exemptions we offer.”

The other tournaments in the Elite series are the Sea Island, the Southwestern, the North & South, all of which preceded the Women’s Western, and the LNGA Amateur, which follows it. Of that quartet, only the North & South, held annually at Pinehurst and dating to 1903. Craig, who fancies a career as a golf course architect, won that three weeks ago as the No. 3 seed.

A Women’s Western newbie, Craig noted “the incentives and the point system, I think that’s a really cool thing they’re doing for women’s golf, giving women opportunities to play at such high levels outside of college. I would have come here regardless, because in past years friends have played and said how incredible it is. Okay, I’ve got to try it.”

So far, so great. Likewise for the Austin, Texas, native.

“I’m a fan of courses up here in Chicago,” said O’Keefe, whose women’s course-record 64 at the Glen View Club representing Texas in a college tournament raised eyebrows. “I had a blast there and made up my mind I like Chicago-style golf courses.

“I didn’t know the Elite Amateur series was a thing until you said it,” O’Keefe told a reporter. “Now it’s exciting to think of.”

Pancake, of course, wants to avenge her 2022 loss to Taglao Jerravivitaporn, a 2 and 1 loss at Sunset Ridge in a championship match after building a 3-up lead in the first six holes.

“Obviously, I love this tournament and have had success in it,” Pancake said. “I go in trying to beat the golf course, but this is the best field they’ve ever had. It’s definitely the most competitive, which is exciting. It’s stacked, which is what you want. You want to play against the best.”

This year’s Women’s Western Am has also brought back memories for those who indulge in the history of the game. It began at Onwentsia under the auspices of the fledgling Western Golf Association in 1901, and was played in conjunction with Onwentsia’s Governors Cup. That was also the case in 1902, but in both years, the WGA bollixed up the match play bracket and only last-minute corrections prevented a fiasco.

That encouraged the ladies to step out on their own, the WWGA was formed, and the Western Women’s Amateur became the Women’s Western Amateur in the blink of an eye. The commonality among the first three championships: Bessie Anthony won them all, Nobody has three-peated since.

The WGA, after more than a century in the penalty box, returned as a presenting partner to help with logistics the past four years. But the ladies in the blue jackets still run the golf, with distinction.

– Tim Cronin