Former Gamecock tees off at Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Gamecock great Ainhoa Olarra began the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Wednesday, shooting a +3 (T33) opening round.

Gathering the week before the Masters Tournament in April, the international field will compete over 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players taking place after 36 holes. The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club Wed., April 3 and Thu., April 4.

The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Fri., April 5. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Sat., April 6, and will feature the competitors who made the cut.

The final round of the historical tournament will be produced and broadcasted for three hours (noon – 3 p.m. ET) on Golf Channel. The broadcast will show on-site highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event.

Olarra boasted a historic senior campaign for Carolina in 2018 after posting the lowest single-season stroke average (71.00) in program history. She captured individual titles at the 2018 Florida State Match-Up and 2018 SEC Championship and closed the season with a team-high five top-five showings. Olarra ranks second all-time among Gamecocks in career scoring average (73.44) and career wins (2), and her 12 top-10 finishes stand as the eighth-best total in school history.

The winner of the tournament, provided she remain an amateur, will 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.