Finn and Panthong Set to Make History in Augusta This Week
4/1/2019 11:37:00 AM | Women's Golf
KENT, Ohio- For the first time in the history of one of the most admired golf courses in the world, women will compete for a title. Augusta National Golf Club, the acclaimed sight of the Master's will host the Augusta National Women's Amateur this weekend. The Kent State women's golf team will be represented with two players in the field.
Heading down to Augusta, Ga., will be senior Michaela Finn and junior Pimnipa Panthong.
For Panthong, this is another milestone in an incredible amateur career. A two-time Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year, Pimnipa Panthong set school records aplenty in her sophomore year at Kent State University. She won four consecutive events, capped by the MAC Championship in which she also helped the Golden Flashes win their 20th straight conference title. She followed that with a T-8 finish in the NCAA San Francisco Regional and T-13 finish in the NCAA Medal Championship Final.
Now a junior, Panthong was a member of the International Arnold Palmer Cup team over the summer and also played in the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur. Hailing from Nakhon Sawan, Thailand, she was a member of the Thai National Team in 2015-16.
For Finn, she started her senior year at Kent State on a roll, finishing top 10 in every start for the Flashes during the Fall season. She shared medalist honors at the Illini Invitational at Medinah and accompanied the victory with top-five finishes at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invite (third) and Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate (T-5). She capped the calendar year by finishing runner-up in the Dixie Amateur.
Her junior year highlights included a runner-up finish at the MAC Championship, in defense of her 2017 title.
The players will play their first two rounds at Champion Retreat on Wednesday and Thursday and then have a practice round at Augusta National on Friday, prior to the top 30 playing the final round on the famed course on Saturday.
Invitations were provided to the winners of the following recognized events: U.S. Women's Amateur, Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific, U.S. Girls' Junior, Girls' British Open Amateur Championship, Girls Junior PGA Championship. Along with the top 30 players from the USA who are not otherwise qualified, based on the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of the 2018 calendar year.
After the previous qualifications, the next 30 highest ranked players not otherwise qualified received invitations, as listed on the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of the 2018 calendar year. Any remaining positions were filled by invitation of the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship Committee.
The winner of the 2019 Augusta National Women's Amateur Champion on Saturday will be handed a bowl designed in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. and made from spun sterling silver and a 24K yellow gold vermeil. Among the design, accents are the event's logo and the namesake flowers for each hole at Augusta National. If she remains an amateur she will also receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women's Amateurs, the 2019 U.S. Women's Open, the 2019 Women's British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.
The Augusta National Women's Amateur will be broadcast on NBC Sports with three hours of live final-round coverage at Augusta National from Noon – 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 6. NBC Sports will also provide pre-event promotion across
NBCUniversal's portfolio, while Golf Channel will deliver highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, including onsite during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat.
As a team, the Golden Flashes have won four tournaments this season and are ranked No. 13 in the country.
Players Mentioned
