Kirkistown Castle teenager Beth Coulter will become only the second Northern Irishwoman to play at Augusta National after receiving an invite to the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship in April.
The 19-year-old, who is ranked 50th in the world amateur rankings, will follow in the footsteps of Olivia Mehaffey when she competes at the Georgia course, which hosts the annual Masters Tournament.
Curtis Cup star Coulter, who led Great Britain and Ireland to victory over the United States last September on her debut, is currently a junior at Arizona State and is a frequent Ireland international in major amateur team events.
The Co Down ace started her season with a 13th-placed finish at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge two weeks ago and racked up six top-ten finishes last year in 15 starts, including a third-placed finish at the Irish Close.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur runs over three rounds from April 2-5, the week preceding this year’s Masters, with the first two rounds played at neighbouring Champions Retreat Golf Club and the final round played at Augusta National itself.
Even if Coulter were to miss the 36-hole cut, she would still be guaranteed one round at Augusta as the entire field, regardless of whether they have qualified for the final day, get to play a practice round there on day three.
Coulter will be joined in the field by Curtis Cup team-mate and World Amateur No.1 Lottie Woad and the likes of top amateur stars such as America’s Jasmine Koo, Malaysia’s Mirabel Ting and the Philippines’ Rianne Mikhaela Malixi.