Royal County Down Ladies’ Olivia Mehaffey and Forrest Little’s Julie McCarthy are among 85 of the world’s top women amateurs who have accepted invitations to compete in the second annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Mehaffey tied for 23rd behind Jennifer Kupcho in 2019 while Auburn University star McCarthy will be making her debut after last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was just magical,” Mahaffey told RTE Radio’s Greg Allen of her debut in 2019. “I was so grateful to play in the inaugural event two years ago. It’s crazy it’s been two years. But it’s such an amazing event and it’s so great for women’s sport. That’ something I am really proud of.

“I really want to be a good role model for the girls at home and I really want to grow the game and that event is so significant for that. Girls at home, if they watch that and they think, I want to do that, that means so much to me. Just representing Ireland and being there is so incredible so I am very excited for April. It’s definitely one of my highlights and something I am looking forward to before I turn pro.”

Mehaffey only realised during a recent interview that no Irish golfer has ever won a green jacket at Augusta National and she’s now aiming to be the first.

“I hadn’t even realised that none of the guys had so that would be good in April to be the first Irish winner at Augusta,” she said. “That would be so cool.”

A current listing of the confirmed field is included below. Player biographies are also available on the event’s official website, ANWAgolf.com.

Beginning the week prior to the 85th Masters Tournament, the international field will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players taking place after 36 holes. The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club on Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 1.

The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 2. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 3 and will feature the competitors who made the cut.

Jennifer Kupcho, who now competes on the LPGA Tour, was the champion of the inaugural championship in 2019. The 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur was cancelled due to the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours (Noon – 3:00 PM ET) of live final-round coverage of the event at Augusta National. Golf Channel will deliver on-site highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event. Additionally, Golf Channel’s “Live From the Masters” will commence on Friday, April 2 at Augusta National to provide coverage of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and the Masters Tournament.

Tickets to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur are sold out following an online ticket application process. No tickets will be available at the gates. For more information, please visit ANWAgolf.com and follow the event’s official social media channels (@ANWAgolf) across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

“On behalf of the membership at Augusta National, it is my distinct honour and privilege to welcome these talented competitors to the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” said Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament.

“While the wait for the return of this championship has been longer than expected, the excitement generated by the sportsmanship and competitive spirit showcased in the inaugural edition still resonates with us today. We look forward to hosting this elite field this spring and showcasing the future of the women’s game.”

2021 AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN’S AMATEUR FIELD

Alyaa Abdulghany, Johor Bahru, Malaysia (9)
Ty Akabane, Honolulu, Hawaii (8)
Hanna Alberto, Kingwood, Texas (8)
Ho-Yu An, Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei (9)
Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. (11)
Addie Baggarly, Jonesborough, Tenn. (8)
Jaravee Boonchant, Bangkok, Thailand (9)
Zoe Campos, West Hills, Calif. (11)
Abbey Carlson, Lake Mary, Fla. (8)
Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas (11)
Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii (8)
Caterina Don, Turin, Italy (9)
Sadie Englemann, Austin, Texas (8)
Isabella Fierro, Merida, Mexico (11)
Karen Fredgaard, Asserbo, Denmark (11)
Annabell Fuller, London, England (11)
Megha Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. (8)
Sofia Garcia, Asuncion, Paraguay (11)
Amelia Garvey, Christchurch, New Zealand (9)
Ashley Gilliam, Manchester, Tenn. (8)
Linn Grant, Viken, Sweden (9)
Lauren Hartlage, Elizabethtown, Ky. (8)
Rachel Heck, Memphis, Tenn. (8)
Paris Hilinski, Los Angeles, Calif. (11)
Isabella Holpfer, Vienna, Austria (11)
Yu-Chiang Hou, Taipei, Chinese Taipei (9)
Yu-Sang Hou, Taipei, Chinese Taipei (9)
Lily May Humphreys, Chelmsford, England (9)
Julia Johnson, St. Gabriel, La. (8)
Tsubasa Kajitani, Okayama, Japan (9)
Gurleen Kaur, Houston, Texas (8)
Auston Kim, St. Augustine, Fla. (8)
Gina Kim, Albuquerque, N.M. (8)
Grace Kim, Sydney, Australia (11)
Paula Kirner, Lorsch, Germany (11)
Aline Krauter, Stuttgart, Germany (2)
Rachel Kuehn, Asheville, N.C. (8)
Agathe Laisne, Paris, France (9)
Ingrid Lindblad, Halmstad, Sweden (9)
Siyun Liu, Shanghai, China (9)
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Madrid, Spain (9)
Clarisse Louis, Brussels, Belgium (11)
Candice Mahe, Gourin, France (11)
Lucie Malchirand, Carnoux, France (9)
Brooke Matthews, Rogers, Ark. (8)
Julie McCarthy, Dublin, Ireland (11)
Olivia Mehaffey, Banbridge, Northern Ireland (9)
Alexa Melton, Covina, Calif. (11)
Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, N.C. (8)
Kaitlin Milligan, Norman, Okla. (11)
Michaela Morard, Hunstville, Ala. (8)
Benedetta Moresco, Vicenza, Italy (9)
Malia Nam, Kailua, Hawaii (8)
Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego, Calif. (8)
Alessia Nobilio, Milan, Italy (9)
Tristyn Nowlin, Richmond, Ky. (11)
Emilie Paltrinieri, Milan, Italy (9)
Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla. (8)
Pimnipa Panthong, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand (9)
Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas (8)
Ana Peláez Triviño, Malaga, Spain (9)
Kiira Riihijarvi, Oulu, Finland (9)
Brooke Riley, Manteca, Calif. (11)
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Carqueiranne, France (9)
Amanda Sambach, Davidson, N.C. (8)
Megan Schofill, Monticello, Fla. (8)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, St. Leon-Rot, Germany (9)
Aneka Seumanutafa, Emmitsburg, Md. (8)
Erica Shepherd, Greenwood, Ind. (11)
Ellie Slama, Salem, Ore. (8)
Katherine Smith, Detroit Lakes, Minn. (8)
Emma Spitz, Vienna, Austria (9)
Maja Stark, Skivarp, Sweden (9)
Kennedy Swann, Austin, Texas (8)
Kaleigh Telfer, Johannesburg, South Africa (11)
Brigitte Thibault, Montreal, Canada (11)
Emily Toy, Carlyon Bay, England (11)
Nanako Ueno, Hirakata, Japan (9)
Beatrice Wallin, Gothenburg, Sweden (9)
Isobel Wardle, Alderley Edge, England (11)
Kenzie Wright, McKinney, Texas (8)
Lei Ye, Shanghai, China (5)
Anna Zanusso, Castelfranco Veneto, Italy (11)
Agustina Zeballos, Buenos Aires, Argentina (11)
Rose Zhang, Irvine, Calif. (1)

Qualifications for Invitation to the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur

1. Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion

2. Reigning Ladies’ British Open Amateur Champion

3. Reigning Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion

4. Reigning Girls’ British Open Amateur Champion

5. Reigning U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion

6. Reigning Girls Junior PGA Champion

7. Past champions of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur within the last five years

8. The 30 highest ranked players from the United States of America based on the prior year's (2020)

   final Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking, not otherwise qualified

9. After qualifications 1-8 above, the 30 highest ranked players not otherwise qualified, as listed on the

   prior year's (2020) final Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking

10. Players receiving special invitations of the Augusta National Women's Amateur Committee

11. Afterqualifications1-10above,playersthatacceptedinvitationstothe2020AugustaNational

    Women's Amateur, not otherwise qualified