Rumson Country Club to Welcome 96th Women's Amateur & 8th Mid-Amateur Championships
RUMSON, N.J. - The New Jersey State Golf Association 96th Women’s Amateur & 8th Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is back at Rumson Country Club for the first time since 2005. The Jersey Shore gem will play host to 56 female golfers from July 27-30.
Situated on the banks of the Shrewsbury River in Rumson, the golf course is relatively open – although during peak season, many of the fairways are framed by high fescue grass. The course is also well-known for its challenging green complexes; even the flatter greens have many subtle – yet significant – breaks. And, as is the case of many riverside courses, wind speed and direction are always major factors.
Rumson Country Club was founded in 1908, and the golf course opened July 1910. Designed by Herbert H. Barker, the course is generally the same today – although some changes were brought upon by the relocation of the clubhouse due to a 1945 fire which destroyed the original building. As a result, the holes were re-numbered, the tenth hole was eliminated, and the original twelfth hole was split up to create two new holes. A dogleg was added to the ninth hole, and a new green near the clubhouse was built. The current tenth hole was added, using the former twelfth green.
Both events will run simultaneously, however, the Amateur Champion will be determined after a test of both stroke play and match play formats, while the Mid-Amateur Championship will consist of two rounds of stroke play.
Eunice Kim of White Beeches Golf & Country Club highlights the field as the reigning champion. Kim, 18 was victorious at Morris County Golf Club in 2020 after she built a three-hole advantage with three holes remaining, then hung on for a 2-up victory over Yoona Kim of Edgewood. 2020 runner up, Yoona Kim, 19, also headlines the field. The Harvard University student-athlete seeks her first title after coming up short in 2020.
Yoona Kim made things interesting when she drained a 50-foot uphill birdie putt on the par-4 16th to win the hole and close the gap to a two-hole advantage for Eunice Kim. Yoona Kim then won the par-3 17th with a par, and suddenly she was only one hole behind with one to play.
On the decisive 18th hole, Yoona Kim’s wayward drive found the pond on the left side of the fairway, while Eunice Kim’s tee shot found the woods on the right side. After penalty relief from the pond, it took Yoona Kim two more strokes to reach the green. She ended up with a double-bogey six. Eunice Kim was able to hit an impressive iron shot from behind a tree to within 30 yards of the green to set up a bogey for the victory.
“I had a little trouble off the tee and that cost me some holes. It was good to get back into the match after I made that 50-footer for birdie and then won on 17, but again, I wasn’t confident with my driver and it hurt me on 18. I can take a lot out of this and carry the momentum into next year," Yoona Kim explained after the finale in 2020.
The Mid-Am contingent features the reigning champion and reigning NJSGA Women's Player of the Year, Samantha Perrotta. Perrotta, 31, has a long list of accomplishments, which include winning the South Jersey Cup, the WGAP Stroke Play and WGAP Match Play championships. She won the 2020 Mid-Amateur by seven strokes over 2019's champion, Noelle Maertz.
Maertz of Ridgewood Country Club is also in this year's field. competing in both the amateur and mid-amateur field. Last year, Maertz fell short of earning back-to-back Mid-Am titles. In 2021, Maertz now seeks her fourth NJSGA championship. Maertz, 27, won the 2012 Women's Public Links Championship, 2017 Mixed Pinehurst Championship, and most recently, the 2020 Women's Four-Ball Championship alongside Ami Gianchandani, who is also competing in this year's amateur field.
The Amateur Championship features a thirty-six hole, stroke play qualifying round consisting of 18 holes on Tuesday, July 27 and 18 holes on Wednesday, July 28 will determine placement into the match play championship to consist of 16 players. The round of 16 and quarterfinal rounds of Match Play will be held on Thursday, July 29; the semifinal matches and championship match will be held on Friday, July 30. All matches are 18 holes.
The Mid-Amateur Champion will be the player age 25 and above with the lowest 36-hole gross score. In the event of a tie for the championship, a hole-by-hole playoff will be held to determine the champion. Players age 25 and above may compete in both the Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships.
It will mark the fourth time that Rumson has hosted the Women’s Amateur, and the first time since 2005 when LPGA Tour member Marina Alex of North Jersey Country Club finished as runner-up.
Coverage of the 96th Women's Amateur & 8th Mid-Amateur Championships will be available at NJSGA.org, where live scoring, news, and recaps will be featured throughout the week. Fans and players can also follow the organization on its social media outlets at Facebook.com/njsga1900, @NJSGA1900 on Twitter and @njsga1900 on Instagram.
