Play set to begin Wednesday in first Augusta National Women’s Amateur

The first act in an unusual format that ends at the home of the Masters Tournament begins Wednesday in Columbia County.

The inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur features the first two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club. After a day off Friday for a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club, the final round will be played at the National on Saturday. It will be limited to the top 30 from the 72-player field after Thursday’s second round.

“This is the first time I think I’ve had a practice round in between the competition rounds for sure. This is definitely different,” said Andrea Lee, a junior at Stanford who is the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur in the world.

“This is definitely like a short period of time turnaround, so it will be interesting to see how this kind of goes,” said Jennifer Kupcho, the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur.

Lee said that for the players in contention for the title after the first two rounds, Friday’s practice round “can kind of be seen as a reset day in a way. But also just to be able to really enjoy themselves on the golf course, as well, in preparation for Saturday.”

“Augusta National kind of gave us a little break and clear our minds just going into the final round at Augusta National,” said Jiwon Jeon, the world’s No. 6-ranked player.

The entire field will play Friday at Augusta National, not just the top 30.

“Friday is just going to be a really special day for everyone, no matter who you are,” Lee said. “All 72 players are going to have the time of their lives, and it’s going to be really fun.”

One of the most interesting questions is what the low 18-hole score will be Saturday at Augusta National, since women have never played competitively there. But first, they have to get there.

After her practice round Tuesday, Lee said she thinks the leading 36-hole score at Champions Retreat “would be a few under par. I would consider this field, obviously some of the top amateurs in the world are here, so I’m assuming the scores will be somewhat low.”

In the event of a tie for the 30th spot, there will be a sudden-death playoff at Champions Retreat, starting on No. 10, followed by Nos. 17 and 18 if needed.

Jeon, a junior at Alabama, has never played Augusta National, but former Masters participant Jerry Pate, an ex-Crimson Tide golfer, has given her some advice.

“I met Jerry Pate at the golf center in Alabama a couple of days ago before I came here, and he gave me a tip that just like, ‘If it’s a downhill putt, don’t try to make it. Just try to stop it.’ That’s what he gave me,” she said with a laugh.

Tuesday was the prologue, with the field playing their practice rounds in early morning rain and temperatures so cool that the tee times were pushed back 15 minutes.

Kupcho will have the honor of hitting the first tee shot in Augusta National Women’s Amateur history. She’s in the first group off at 9 a.m., playing with Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey and Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul.

Photos: Tuesday Augusta National Women's Amateur Practice

“That’s kind of crazy to think about now,” Kupcho said. “Obviously I knew I was going off first, but I didn’t really think about the first tee shot of the group. I mean, it’s pretty exciting. It will be super cool to be able to say I did that.”

The temperature is expected to be around 50 degrees when Kupcho’s group tees off.

“Growing up in Colorado, it’s cold there, so I’m pretty used to it,” said Kupcho, who is a senior at Wake Forest. “Also, North Carolina for sure has been cold all the time, so I practice in the cold. I know how to play in the cold.”

The high Wednesday is expected to be in the low 70s and the high Thursday is predicted to be in the mid-70s. No rain is forecast for those days, but it is for Friday’s practice round at Augusta National.