Emory University will add women's golf to its list of varsity sports, beginning in the fall of 2019.

Recruiting efforts will begin immediately to attract prospective female golfers to the university, The Eagles have not yet hired a coach, but efforts will be ongoing in the coming months.

"We are excited about starting women's golf as a varsity sport," says Michael Vienna, Emory’s Clyde Partin Sr. Director of Athletics. “With men’s golf already a part of our intercollegiate program, and with the University Athletic Association’s sponsorship of women’s golf, we believe these two factors will help serve as a catalyst in attracting talented student-athletes who will represent Emory Athletics in a proud manner while helping lay the foundation for a successful program.”

Emory’s first year of sponsoring women’s golf as an intercollegiate sport will coincide with the institution serving as the host of the 2020 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Championships, which will be held at the PGA National Resort Champions Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The Eagles have selected Smoke Rise Country Club as their home golf course for practices and tournaments. Smoke Rise, located in nearby Stone Mountain, has served as the site of the men’s Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational the past three years.

Emory will join fellow University Athletic Association members Carnegie Mellon University, New York University and Washington University as schools sponsoring women’s golf.

With the addition of women’s golf, Emory will be home to 10 varsity women’s sports teams and the university will offer 19 athletic programs that compete at the NCAA Division III level.

The last intercollegiate sport that Emory added was softball, which began play in the spring of 1999.