The 20th-ranked female amateur golfer in the world picks up the phone in a frenzy. Amari Avery is stressed. You can hear it in her voice.
Is she struggling with tournament prep? Could it be midterm season at USC? Nope. Avery is shopping, frantically. She’s in the midst of a last-ditch effort to hunt down an outfit. And it has to be a good one.
On Tuesday night — just more than a week before the first round of the 2024 Masters — the 20-year-old college junior will attend a formal dinner at Augusta National Golf Club along with 71 of her peers. The group ranges from ages 16 to 24, representing 17 countries and 27 U.S. colleges. Those 72 young women are the best non-professional female golfers in the world. They make up the field for the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).
Known as the Chairman’s Dinner, the evening is the commencement of the prestigious event. The tournament, now in its fifth year, was the brainchild of Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. A lavish three-course meal invites those deserving athletes to mingle with VIP club members and take in the sacred Augusta grounds.
“I’m looking for something to wear that’s not a dress,” Avery said. “Something different.”
Tuesday’s dinner will be Avery’s fourth, and if she decides to forgo…
