Ladies National Golf Association
94th Amateur Championship
JULY 23-25, 2024
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
94th Amateur Championship
Hot Springs Country Club (Park Course)
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Practice Round Monday, July 22, 2024
ELIGIBILITY
Entries are open to female amateur golfers with a handicap index of 5.5 or less under the World Handicap System. All applicants must conform to the USGA Rules of Amateur Status and meet the requirements of the USGA Gender Policy.
FORMAT
Three rounds (54 Holes) of Stroke Play will determine the Champion. The 144-player field will be cut to the top 60 and tied after 36 holes.
ENTRY PROCESS | ENTRIES OPEN MARCH 5, 2024
All entries must be made online at the LNGA Website after creating a Player Profile. Entries must be received by the Championship Committee staff by the entry deadline of 5:00 PM Central Standard Time on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Late entries will be accepted and placed on a waitlist in the order accepted. If space becomes available, the field will be filled from the waitlist. Entries should be submitted early enough to allow ample time for delay or error in transmission. The risk of delay or error in transmission lies solely with the entrant and the LNGA has no liability concerning any such delay or error and the consequences including rejection of the entry. Applicants will fall into two categories: Championship Exempt or Championship Non-Exempt. Exempt players will be accepted as entries are filed, and the Championship field will be finalized by Friday, JUNE 28 at the latest. All applicants will be notified immediately of their status via email.
Entry Fee: $350
(Payment information will be collected upon receipt of entry but will not be processed until the application is accepted). Before the close of entries, there will be a 90% refund. After the entries close, there will be a 50% refund until 2 weeks before the tournament. Withdrawals after June 26, 2024, will not receive a refund except in cases of extenuating circumstances, which will be handled on a case-by-case basis. All refunds are at the discretion of the Championship Committee.
INVITATIONS | APPLICATION PROCESS
Invitations (Championship Exempt) *see below for more details
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Players meeting our exemption criteria will be invited to compete.
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Players meeting the LNGA Handicap Index criteria and exemption criteria will be accepted upon receipt of a completed application but not charged until the close of entries.
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Players meeting these criteria will be guaranteed acceptance unless more than 144 exempt players accept invitations to compete. If this occurs, players will be granted entry into the Championship based on their highest level of exemption status. (A-1 precedes A-2 so on, and so forth).
Applications (Championship Non-Exempt)
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Players not meeting exemption criteria may apply via an online application.
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Players are encouraged to send a playing resume along with their application to ladiesnationalgolf@gmail.com. The resume along with handicap and various rankings will be used to determine the remaining players that are accepted.
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All decisions are at the discretion of the Championship Committee and all decisions are final.
Close of Entries
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Invitations and applications are received and processed. The field is determined based on the number of exempt players and the selection of the best non-exempt players based on handicap at the time entries close to completing the 144-player field.
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All players not accepted into the Championship will be placed on a Wait List.
ON-SITE REGISTRATION
On-site Championship registration will take place Monday, July 22, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Each contestant MUST register in person. Please make every attempt to register before playing your practice rounds. **Failure to register without notification to the Championship Committee may result in the player forfeiting their spot in the event. **
PRACTICE ROUNDS | PRACTICE FACILITIES
The official practice round is Monday, July 22, at Hot Springs Country Club. Details on practice rounds will be sent to competitors after entries close.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
There are several hotels, VRBO, Air BNB, and other home rentals nearby.
CADDIES | CARTS | POLICIES
Players must walk at all times during a stipulated round in the Championship. A player may provide her own caddie, carry her own bag, or provide her pushcart including battery powered.
CONDITIONS | SCHEDULES
The LNGA Championship Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions, and/or schedules herein. The decision of the Championship Committee in any matter will be final.
The LNGA Championship Committee may reject an entry application, revoke an accepted application, expel from the Championship, and/or suspend a player from future championships if the player engages in conduct detrimental to the integrity and image of the game of golf as outlined in the Code of Conduct below.
DRESS CODE
Contestants and caddies are expected to wear golf-appropriate attire at all times when using the practice facilities, golf course, or while visiting the clubhouse. No short-shorts, short skorts/skirts, jeans, cut-offs, tank tops, halter tops, bathing suits, or the like are permitted. No metal or ceramic spikes are permitted.
CODE OF CONDUCT
In fairness to the field of competition: At all times during the Championship and on the golf course property, including both the practice round and championship portion of the event, the following actions by contestants or caddies are considered violations of the Conduct Code: any abusive language, club throwing, cheating, disrespect of volunteers or other contestants or officials, abuse of the course, leaving the course during the competitive round without permission from an LNGA official, any use or association with drugs, any abuse of alcohol, not adhering to the dress code during any portion of the championship, and vandalism at the host hotel, or any other conduct unbecoming of an LNGA contestant. The penalties for Conduct Code violations, based on the severity of the misconduct, may be any or all of the following: a warning, 1 or 2-stroke penalty, disqualification of the player from the championship, removal from the golf course property, suspension of the player | caddie indefinitely from LNGA Championships.
RULES OF GOLF
The Rules of Golf as approved by the USGA and the R&A, as modified by the Local Rules established by the LNGA, will be used. The LNGA Championship Committee reserves the right to alter any conditions and schedules herein. Changes in the championship format caused by force majeure shall be within the sole discretion of the LNGA officials. The decisions of the LNGA Committee in any matter shall be final.
AWARDS
Amateur Champion: The George III Champion Trophy and a Gold Medal
Amateur Runner-Up: The Iva May McDonald Champion Runner-Up Trophy and a Silver Medal
The following will also be awarded:
Dorothy Pease Junior Medalist Trophy and a Silver Medal
Howell Team Trophy and Silver Medals: The Howell Team Trophy is a separate competition conducted over Rounds 1 & 2 (36-holes), where teams of not more than 3 golfers from the same club or university/college compete using the best 2 scores of each round toward the team score. At registration for the championship, golfers can identify who their teammates will be (if known). Teams will be verified during on-site registration at the championship. A club or university/college may have more than one team in the competition, just no more than 3 golfers per team (i.e. University of XYZ has 5 golfers in the championship, they can have multiple teams, consisting of 2 teams of 2 (with one golfer out) or a team of 2 and a team of 3). The winning team will receive the Howell Team Trophy and team members Silver Medals after Round 2
PUBLICITY
I understand the LNGA or its designee, may record, film, photograph, or otherwise capture a likeness, image, voice, biography, references to me, my quoted statements, and my play in the Championship (the foregoing, together with my name, my “Appearance”). In consideration of the opportunity to participate in the Championship, by submitting this Application, I grant (and/or have the authority to grant to the LNGA in the case of a parent/guardian of a minor or other authorized representative submitting the Application on my behalf) to the LNGA, and its licensees, successors and assigns, the perpetual, transferable, assignable, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable right to use my Appearance, in whole or in part, in all manner (including exhibition, distribution, reproduction, publication, display, broadcast, transmission or otherwise), and media now known or hereafter invented or discovered, and for any purpose whatsoever.
*INVITATIONS | CHAMPIONSHIP EXEMPTION CRITERIA
Players in the following categories will be eligible for an exemption into the 2024 Championship. The Championship Committee reserves the right to revise any of the exemption categories. Exempt players wishing to participate in the championship must enter online at the LNGA website before the entry deadline and must not exceed the Handicap Index requirement as of the entry date.
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Exemptions based on LNGA Championships
A-1. LNGA Amateur Champions last 5 years -
Exemptions based on other Championships
B-1. All amateurs exempt for the current year's U.S. Women’s Open
B-2. U.S. Women’s Amateur, Round of 32 Match Play Qualifiers previous year
B-3. Augusta Women’s Amateur Contestants current year
B-4. Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, 36-hole cut qualifiers current year
B-5. Women’s Amateur Latin-America, top 10 and ties previous year
B-6. Any Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Series (WEAGS) Champion previous year -
Exemptions based on Collegiate Events
C-1. NCAA DI Women’s Individual Champion (current year)
C-2. NCAA DII Women’s Individual Champion (current year)
C-3. NCAA DIII Women’s Individual Champions (current year)
C-4. NAIA and NJCAA Women’s Individual Champions (current year) -
Exemptions based on Rankings
D-1. Top 300 World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at any point between registration opening date and registration deadline date.
D-2. Top 50 Golfweek or Golfstat Women’s DI Collegiate Rankings as of date of registration
D-3. Member of the 2023 AJGA Rolex Junior All-American First Team -
Exemptions based on Special Considerations
E-1. A limited number of special exemptions, based on special considerations and/or written invitation, may be granted by the Committee. Requests for special considerations may be submitted to the LNGA Amateur Championship Committee by applying online and choosing the E-1 exemption options.