Local athletes compete in the Missouri Women’s Amateur Golf Championship | KSNF/KODE

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Springfield is home to the 94th annual Missouri Women’s Amateur Golf Championship. 74 female golfers will compete for the title this week at Hickory Hills Country Club.

Several local names, including Missouri Southern golfer Lily Allman, and former Missouri Southern assistant golf coach Natalie Bird, were scheduled to compete in the second round on Wednesday. Katie Giess of Monett was also scheduled to compete in the Springfield track.

The championship features a 54-hole stroke play format, with the winner receiving an exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.

Allman has played in both the junior and women’s championships in her career. As she enters her senior year at Southern, Allman said she has come full circle.

“We’ve really come full circle,” Allman said.

“I played junior amateur when I was in high school for McDonald County, and now playing when I’m at Missouri Southern is really cool. It’s a great feeling to represent my school and be there with people I like.”

For Natalie Bird, participating in the tournament is special, but she said seeing so many women on the court is the most meaningful.

“It’s definitely a different atmosphere here than when I was growing up,” Bird says.

“There are so many girls who can break par on any given day, and it’s great to see women’s golf growing. As someone who is now more on the industry and academia side, seeing women’s sports firsthand gives me the opportunity to teach about it in the classroom as well.”

The third round of the championship will take place on Thursday, June 20. 2024 would mark the fifth time this event has taken place in Springfield, the last being in 1999.