STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s Ashley Gilliam earned an invitation to compete in the prestigious 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, played at the home of The Masters, this spring.

“It is such an honor to be invited to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” said Gilliam. “Ever since the tournament was announced, it has been a goal of mine to be a part of it. I am so thankful for the opportunity to compete in April amongst some of the best in the country.”

The tournament will be held at the Champions Retreat Golf Club, beginning on March 31 until April 3 (one week before The Masters). The field will be cut to 30 finalists prior to the final round, which will be played at Augusta National.

Gilliam, currently No. 130 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), will join the competitive international field of 72 women amateurs for the second edition of this prestigious event.

“We are so proud of Ashley and this opportunity that she has earned,” said head coach Charlie Ewing. “An invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is definitely one of the hardest invitations to earn in all of amateur golf. This event, having begun in only 2019, is already one of the premier and most prestigious events in all of amateur golf worldwide. Ashley certainly deserves this, and we are so proud to have a member of this Mississippi State family going to Augusta to compete this spring. We know she will represent herself and this program well. We are so excited to watch her perform on one of the biggest stages in the women’s golf game.”

So far during her collegiate career, Gilliam owns a 71.05 career stroke average after recording rounds of par or better 16 times, which ranks eighth in MSU history. She owns five top-10 finishes, including three inside the top five, through eight events in her career. She joined former All-American Ally McDonald as the only two players in program history to shoot 5-under-par in four or more rounds

The Manchester, Tennessee, native owns the MSU record for the season stroke average (70.61) and set the programs’ freshman records for Rounds of Par or Better (13) and Rounds in the 60s (5). She was named to Golfweek’s All-American Third Team and was tabbed an All-SEC First team performer during her first season in Starkville.

The 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women’s Amateurs, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2021 Women’s British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.

Three hours of live final-round coverage from Noon to 3 p.m. on April 3, 2021 will be provided by NBC Sports. In addition, Golf Channel will deliver highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, including the first two rounds at Champions Retreat.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women’s golf on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for “HailStateWG.”