Rachel Kuehn is ready to take the course at Champions Retreat Wednesday, April 3.
“I’m so excited. This is one of the best weeks out of the year. It’s been circled on the calendar for months,” said Kuehn, a fifth-year student at Wake Forest University, who is one of the players at Augusta National Women’s Amateur tournament April 3-6,
Kuehn and other athletes spoke prior to the third annual Bank of America Play it Forward Golf Clinic at First Tee Augusta on April 1.
Kuehn, the four-time All-American, who was the 2023 ACC Women’s Golfer of the Year and 2023 ACC Women’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year, is making her fourth appearance at the event. In 2022, she made it to the final round, shooting a 69 to finish in seventh place.
She tees off in the opening round with Group 19 at 9:44 a.m.
Kuehn said she’s most excited about being able to play in front of her friends and family who only have to travel a few hours from North Carolina to be with her.
Golf is an important part of the Kuehn family.
“It’s something that keeps me and my family close because they all play,” she said.
Kuehn’s mom, Brenda Corrie Kuehn, also played at Wake Forest University in the 1980s and is a member of the university’s hall of fame. Brenda Corrie Kuehn spent many years as a professional golfer, playing in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2001 while eight months pregnant with Rachel.
Another returning competitor is Megan Schofill, the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion who is a fifth-year Auburn University student.
Schofill makes her fourth Augusta National Women’s Amateur appearance. She made it to the final round for the first time last year.
“I’m feeling good,” she said. “I’m excited to play. It’s my fourth time, and I’m really looking forward to it. My boyfriend is caddying for me. I think we’re going to have a fantastic time.”
Schofill tees off in Group 4 at 8:12 a.m.
One of the new players in the field is 17 year-old Kiera Romero, an Oregon freshman, from San Jose, Calif.
“I’m super excited to play. Augusta is such a good course, and there’s a lot of history,” said Romero, the 2023 U.S. Girls Junior Champion, who tees off with the first group at 8 a.m.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was announced on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, by Chairman Fred Ridley during his annual press conference at the Masters Tournament. The event was established to inspire greater interest and participation in the women’s game by creating a new, exciting and rewarding pathway for these players to fulfill their dreams, according to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur website.
Seventy-two golfers will participate in the tournament. The first 36 holes will be played at Champions Retreat with the top 30 playing the final round at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 6.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
