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Crown Colony Country Club to Host Women’s Stroke Play Championship

LUFKIN – The Women’s Stroke Play Championship will be played at Crown Colony Country Club from July 30 – Aug. 1. Consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the state, the Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin design will be the stage for some of the top female amateur golfers in Texas.

“The TGA is very excited to return to Crown Colony Country Club for another Major Championship,” TGA Director of Women’s Operations Amy Worthington said. “Since the event was started, the field has continued to get stronger and stronger and showcase some of the most talented players in the state.”

The Women’s Stroke Play Championship was created in 2015 to give female amateur golfers another elite and competitive championship in Texas. Over the past five years, it has become one of the strongest fields on the TGA Women’s calendar.

This year, two recent high school graduates are among the top players in the field. Austin’s Nicole Vivier and Houston’s Zoe Slaughter finished their junior golf careers ranked inside the top-20 in Texas. Vivier, who will play for Southern Methodist University this fall, won the 93rd Texas Junior Amateur last summer at The Clubs of Kingwood’s Island Course. Slaughter, a two-time LJT winner, will play for the University of Houston. Both players will look to add one more title to their name before starting their collegiate golf careers.

Also in this year’s field is Oklahoma State University sophomore Hailey Jones of Dallas. Jones, a three-time LJT Player of the Year, completed her freshman campaign at OSU with a 74.1 scoring average and two top-10 finishes. Despite her first collegiate season being shortened due to Covid-19, Jones enters the Women’s Stroke Play Championship following a trip to the semifinals at the 99th Women’s Texas Amateur at the University of Texas Golf Club earlier this month.

Vivier, Slaughter and Jones are just a few of the talented female amateur golfers competing for this year’s championship. The TGA looks forward to crowning another worthy champion at Crown Colony Country Club.

“We look forward to a competitive week for the entire field,” Worthington said. “Crown Colony is a demanding golf course and will test every facet of a player’s game.”

Nestled in the tall pines of East Texas, Crown Colony Country Club originally opened for play in 1979. The beautiful and challenging layout located in Lufkin has been rated by Golfweek as one of the top destination golf courses in Texas. The 18-hole championship golf course has played host to eight TGA Major Championships (the 1982 and 1988 Texas Amateur, 1989 and 2007 Women’s Texas Amateur, 1994 Texas Mid-Amateur, 1983 Texas Senior Amateur and the 2012 and 2017 Texas Four-Ball). Now, it adds the Women’s Stroke Play Championship to its decorated history.

“It’s a great honor for us,” Crown Colony Country Club Head Golf Professional Ben Burns said. “I know there are a lot of highly ranked golfers in this event. We’re extremely excited to show off the course as well as welcome them to Lufkin.”

Annika Clark won last year’s Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Briggs Ranch Golf Club. The 94th Women’s Texas Amateur champion carded rounds of 70-66-71 to post 9-under for the tournament and claim her second TGA Major Championship. Clark, who now plays professionally, held off the 2017 Women’s Stroke Play champion Hanna Alberto by three strokes. It was Clark’s final amateur tournament and capped off a very successful collegiate golf career.

Other past champions include Hanna Alberto, Hailee Cooper, Kaitlyn Papp, Megan Thothong and Macy Holiday.

The TGA staff continues to monitor the health and safety guidelines from government officials in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following its current health guidelines, the TGA has successfully managed four competitive TGA championships as well as five Legends Junior Tour tournaments since June. The TGA is committed to another safe and successful week at Crown Colony Country Club.

For more information on the Women’s Stroke Play Championship, click here.