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Ogden • The longest continuously held golf tournament in the world, the Utah State Amateur, will have a few new wrinkles in its 119th year, but having a woman in the field of 244 contestants is not one of them.

For that, Provo's Naomi Soifua is grateful, excited and just a little bit nervous.

"I've never really thought of myself as a trailblazer for women," Soifua said last week. "The experience playing against men is different than playing against women, but I hope that me playing in these tournaments opens some eyes for people who might not think it can be done. … In a way, though, I'm glad I'm not the first woman to ever do this."

Although she admits to being more nervous than usual, Soifua said she isn't feeling pressure to play well just because she's a woman.

"Because I have already played in a lot of men's tournaments, I am already past that stage of feeling different," she said. "There's really no pressure on me, aside from just wanting to perform well, like always."

The tournament, which is a combination of stroke-play qualifying and match play, begins Monday at two sites in northern Utah — Ogden Golf & Country Club and Hubbard Golf Course at Hill Air Force Base. The 36-hole championship match is Saturday at Ogden G&CC.

Soifua, 18, graduated from Provo High in May and will play for BYU's nationally prominent women's golf team this fall. She will become the second female to ever play in the event, having qualified last month at East Bay Golf Course in Provo with a 1-over-par 73 in windy, difficult conditions from the tips — the back tees.

Highland's Annie Thurman-Young, who went on to golf and coach at Oklahoma State, received a UGA sponsors' exemption in 2004 and then qualified outright in 2005. Thurman won her first match at Jeremy Ranch in 2004, then lost 2 and 1 to Brandt Hoffman in the second round and was eliminated. She didn't make the match-play cut in 2005 at Wolf Creek, then turned pro after graduating from OSU.

"My goal is to make it to match play, and then hopefully keep going from there," Soifua said. "For me, it would be a real big confidence boost and help me with my mental game, going into college in a few months."

Soifua's best finish in a tournament with mostly men was a second-place finish at The Ranches Amateur as a 15-year-old.

Bill Walker, executive director of the Utah Golf Association, said the State Am is open to anyone who has a handicap index of 9.9 or less. Several women have unsuccessfully tried to qualify the past 10 years at one of the qualifying sites around the state.

"I think it is great for women's golf," Walker said. "Naomi doesn't have to take a back seat to anyone. She can hit it over 300 yards. She's a great player. … No matter if she's male or female, she is going to be someone to be reckoned with [this] week."

BYU golfer C.J. Lee, who won the Salt Lake City Amateur and the Bloomington Amateur and was low amateur at the Provo Open, is No. 1 on the UGA player performance points list entering the State Am. He practices at East Bay like Soifua does and says the teenager will do well this week.

"She has a pretty good chance here [at Ogden]," Lee said. "It might be longer than what she is used to, but she hits the ball so far, it is amazing. She can probably drive it past at least 50 percent of the field, maybe 60 percent."

Former BYU golfer Preston Alder, 26, who is No. 3 on the points list, played with Soifua at the Glenmoor Open and was impressed.

"I think it is awesome she's in this State Am," he said. "She hits the ball about the same distance as me. She's fun to watch."

Patrick Fishburn, a rising senior at BYU whose family belongs to Ogden G&CC, is the defending champion, having won last year at Alpine Country Club. Fishburn is ranked No. 176 in the world among amateurs and has the lowest handicap index in the field (+5.4).

But Fishburn is not automatically exempt for match play on Wednesday (low 64 players from stroke play Monday and Tuesday) because the UGA decided this year to do away with that exemption. Walker said the change puts the UGA more in line with other associations around the country, and the USGA's championships.

"Patrick is a great player, so I think he will be OK," Walker said. "We just felt like players need to earn their way into match play. … Having played this golf course a lot, he's gotta be licking his chops."

It is the ninth time that Ogden G&CC has hosted the State Am, and first time since 2014, when Jon Wright repeated as champion. Other former champs in the field include Dan Horner (2008), Nick Nelson (2007), Mike McRae (2005), Darrin Overson (1998), Steve Borget (1985), Mark Davis (1984) and Jerimie Montgomery, who won at Ogden in 1994.

Twitter: @drewjay