Several Sandhills area golfers who advanced from the June 10 Executive Women’s Golf Association local qualifier held at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club are participating in the semifinals championship at Little River Golf Club on Saturday.

Amateur women golfers from North and South Carolina are competing on the Dan Maples-designed course to vie for a select few spots available in the EWGA Championship, the world’s largest amateur championship for women.

The EWGA Championship series began this spring with regional qualifiers in 130 U.S.-based chapters of the organization, connecting current and aspiring business and professional women nationwide through golf.

Competitors from the Carolinas advanced to the semifinals by winning low net or gross honors at any of nine regional EWGA chapter qualifiers, held in Wilmington, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Piedmont Triad, Raleigh, Sandhills and Hampton Roads, Va.

The series includes both individual stroke play and team scramble divisions. Winners of the semifinals advance to the EWGA Championship at PGA National Resort & Spa, Oct. 5-6.

“Every year, thousands of working women exchange their business suit for a golf shirt to compete in the championship series,” says Pam Swensen, EWGA CEO and president. “We’re looking forward to see who from the Carolina region will advance to the finals.”

Women with a USGA handicap of 40.4 or better can enter the stroke play event and will compete in one of five flights, determined by handicap. Both low gross and low net winners of this weekend’s event advance to the national championship.

Scramble teams consist of four players and only one team member may have a handicap of 12 or under. The team with the lowest aggregate score advances to the finals.

More than 2,400 women amateur competitors among the EWGA’s total roster of 14,000 current and aspiring business and professional women who play golf will compete in the EWGA National Championship series. Competitors must be a member of the EWGA, have a verifiable USGA handicap and retain their amateur status according to the USGA rules of golf.

Golfers who qualified at Pine Needles are:

Championship Flight —Julie Shore, gross; Andrea Hodel, net.

First Flight — Bonnie Howard, gross; Jane Pajak, net.

Second Flight — Jeryl Bratcher, gross; Elaine Simon, net.

Third Flight — Olga Manning, gross; Lissa Dailey, net.

Fourth Flight — Deb Fortune, gross.

For more information about EWGA and membership, visit www.ewga.com.