Perth’s Jess Whitting is amongst the 12 women golfers locked in to compete at this month’s televised Athena tournament.
Played over two days, The Athena sees its field complete nine skills challenges on day one with the top eight players proceeding to the matchplay play-offs on the second day. Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club will host the tournament on February 24-25.
Introduced in 2022, when it was won by WA’s Kirsten Rudgeley, The Athena is made for television and breaks the mould of a traditional golf tournament in showcasing not only the skills of the athletes but also shining a light on their personalities.
Royal Fremantle product Whitting – the 2016 WA Women’s Amateur champion – made headlines last month at the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga GC when she achieved a hole-in-one to win a BMW i4 eDrive 35 valued at $94,088.
Other notable inclusions in the field are NSW’s Kelsey Bennett, leading amateur Caitlin Peirce, who won the 2023 Bowra & O’Dea Women’s Classic at WAGC, and Darwin GC’s Skye Lampton, who becomes the first Indigenous woman to take part in the event.
WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn said The Athena field showcased the strength of Australian golfers and our future role models.
“Australia is known for producing some of the world’s best golfers with Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, and now Grace Kim currently setting a high standard on the international stage,” she said.
“Back home, we are nurturing the next generation of talent who will at some point be joining our international stars on the world’s major tours, and The Athena provides them with a unique experience competing in an event where every shot they play will be played under high-pressure conditions and broadcast live on TV.”
The Athena will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo from 3pm-6.30pm AEDT on Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26. Visit the tournament website for more information.
Full field: Kelsey Bennett (NSW); Cassie Porter (QLD); Jess Whitting (WA); Skye Lampton (NT); Claire Shin (NSW); Caitlin Peirce (SA); Rhianna Lewis (QLD); Sarah Yamaki Branch (QLD); Elmay Viking (Cook Islands); Steph Bunque (VIC); Dannie Vasquez (NSW); Amy Chu (NSW)
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