WOGA NEWS AND NOTES
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WOGA targets juniors by katy treadwell
Its golf season! And in 2012, the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association (WOGA) promises a season filled with great competition, camaraderie and fun. The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association has been around for nearly 100 years now. Founded in 1915 as a way to award a State Amateur Champion and promote women’s golf in Oklahoma, WOGA continues to offer a variety of tournaments and events for women golfers of all ages, and this year the competition, the courses and even the organization promise to be better than ever. WOGA president Cherie Rich had this to say when asked about the 2012 season: “We are very excited for the upcoming season. WOGA is focused on improving women’s and junior girls’ golf in Oklahoma, and we have made some small changes that we believe will help make this year one for the record books.” In 2012, WOGA aims to focus more on
State Amateur Champ Whitney McAteer.
junior golf and providing all female golfers, 17 and under, with more reasons to join and compete. In 1950, WOGA held its first-ever Junior Girls State Championship at Tulsa Country Club. It was a great success and has continued to be one of WOGA’s most coveted events. This year the WOGA board has made some changes in their eligibility guidelines that they believe will improve the competition, broaden the playing field and help get more junior golfers involved in the
organization. In 2012, the WOGA board has decided to adopt USGA standards for their State Amateur and Stroke Play Championships. This small change will open some big doors for junior golfers. Vice president of WOGA Sheila Dills is excited about this change and believes it is just one step that WOGA is taking to help improve junior golf in Oklahoma. “The Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur Championship should be a championship that all eligible Oklahoma Junior Girls choose to play in. It is the only match-play competition in Oklahoma where a junior girl can gain invaluable experience towards competing in the USGA Girls’ Jr. Championship,” says Dills. Under the new WOGA guidelines, any female junior golfer with a handicap index of 18.4 or less will be eligible to participate in the State Am and Stroke Play Championships. These are two of WOGA’s most prestigious events and the board is proud to open the playing field with the hopes of getting more young female golfers competing for the title. And to sweeten the pot, this year the State Amateur event will be held at Gaillardia
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