The LPGA Amateurs may take fun seriously, but the competition is no joke

Nestled in central Birmingham, Alabama, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley hosted this year’s LPGA Amateurs Cup Finals. This amateur match play competition is conducted under the direction of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.

The LPGA Amateurs Golf Association invites all women to learn, play and enjoy golf for business and for fun. The organization hosts over 10, 000 golf, social and networking events each year, and has chapters in over 130 cities all around the world. But being a part of this organization is about so much more than just golf.  It’s about connecting with a community of women who love to play, create friendships, and build lasting memories through the game.

To make it to the national Cup Finals, women had to qualify in eight regional qualifiers across the country. Upon arriving in Birmingham, amateur players were prepared to compete in two stages of play – 18 holes of Four-Ball and 18 holes of Singles before crowning the winning team.

Built on former mining land, the courses in the Oxmoor Valley are sculpted from the peaks and valleys of the Appalachians. The Ridge course offered challenging elevation changes and heavy tree cover, while the recently renovated Valley course featured numerous creeks with new tees, bunkers, and a few unusual, redesigned surprise holes.

The highly anticipated event brought together forty-nine teams with 392 players from LPGA Amateurs Golf Association chapters all around the country. The perfect weather conditions set the stage for two days of intense competition and a great test in golf. These ladies came ready for battle but shared one common goal: to take home the cup!  Not even brushfires on the edge of the course could stop these ladies from bringing their best game.

Competitors received some golf essentials and were prepped for a weekend of competition, thanks to LPGA Foundation partners like Birdie Balou, Top Seedz, Titleist, ASEA, Just Jai Wear, Orange Whip, Xact Xpressions, and GolfMarie.

The Cup Finals is known for being one of the most engaging tournaments of the LPGA Amateurs season. Each year, chapters get creative naming their teams.  And while there is no prize for most original name, this year’s tournament featured teams like the I Need Better Friends, Sunshine Swingers, Shanks for the Memories, and The Slicing Hookers.

LPGA Amateurs members look forward to qualifying for this event each year, as it not only fosters fierce competition, but also builds camaraderie across chapters and celebrates team spirit. Before play begins, players are sent off with music to get fired up and exuberant cheers and high fives from the entire LPGA Foundation staff and volunteers operating the event. Teams wear colorful golf attire to show off their team spirit and even exchange hometown gifts with competitors.

“I have been participating in the LPGA Amateurs Cup Finals for seven years. The overall experience in Alabama was great,” expressed Sharon Primerano, member of the LPGA Amateurs Association Philadelphia Chapter. “I encourage everyone to play in this annual tournament. Everyone I know who’s competed in this event before wants to do it over and over. I never played a team sport, so for me the team aspect is different and so much fun. I love pulling for my teammates.”

The Pin Hunters from the LPGA Amateurs Tampa Bay Chapter earned the coveted title of 2023 LPGA Amateurs National Cup Finals Champions, with the Magnificent Divas from Orlando and the Putt Up & Drive from Lehigh Valley earning second and third place, respectively.

“It feels absolutely amazing to take the trophy back to our chapter. We were the last group to qualify and are a new team with two last-minute replacements,” stated Christine Martin, Captain for the winning Pin Hunters. “Our team strategy was to keep our heads up and move on, even after a bad hole. Match play is such a different game for us, as we are more accustomed to stroke play. And the strategy worked because we stuck together and won nearly every match that day. This is beyond surreal. It’s awesome.”

Many members are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in tournaments like these. “The intensity of the competition exceeded my expectations. A highlight was finishing third in our first Cup Finals appearance, while being only one of two teams out of 50 to win all four of our fourball matches. Our success was a total team effort. I am already planning on making it to Florida for next year’s event,” stated Sheri Beers from the Putt Up & Drive team. “Another highlight for me this year was having the opportunity to speak with Nancy Oliver. Like her, I am an advocate for girls and women in golf, and you can bet I am going to share my awesome experience enthusiastically and recruit more women to the game.  I am thankful for the opportunity to both compete in and give back to an organization that leads the way to improve women’s amateur golf.”

Mary Lou Wenthe, team Flower Power, from the LPGA Amateurs Rochester Chapter will never forget this national championship. Her teammates could not believe that she used a driver on a 110 par 3 to shoot her first hole in one.

“Of course, I was excited! My first hole in one in 21 years of golf,” expressed Wenthe. “Our gracious opponents and my teammate insisted I take time to document the event before moving onto the next hole. I was moved by their exuberant attention and kindness. And then later that evening, it was stunned when I was recognized in front of nearly 400 golfing women from all over the country and was awarded a Troon Golf Resort pass for two! I am even more determined to work harder on my game and lower my handicap. A very happy memory indeed!”

The 2023 Cup Finals concluded with a high energy awards ceremony and dinner celebration for teams. Players ended the evening building relationships with other chapters, taking photos with their competitors, and dancing the night away.  Many women are already looking forward to seeing each other at next year’s competition.