University of Arkansas golfers Ela Anacona, Maria Hoyos and Brooke Matthews received sponsor exemptions on Thursday and will tee it up in the Northwest Arkansas Championship.
The tournament, set to be televised by The Golf Channel, is scheduled for Aug. 24-30 at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.
The three Razorbacks in the field, all making their debuts in the event, will be a school record, just as the five UA players in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this month was a record.
“When I got the call that we had been awarded three sponsor exemptions for the 2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship …, my first thought was this was the best news our team has received since the COVID-19 shutdown began back in March,” Arkansas Coach Shauna Taylor said in a statement. “Most of the women on our team aspire to play on the LPGA Tour, and this is an amazing opportunity for them to test their games.”
Matthews, a junior from Rogers and a round of 32 participant at the U.S. Amateur, had four top-35 finishes in six events in 2019-20. She had a 73.39 stroke average last season.
Anacona had a stroke average of 72.33 as she played in five of six events for the Razorbacks last season.
Hoyos had a 73.11 stroke average as a junior while playing in three events.