By Spencer Feingold

Seven years after the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club finally let women play its iconic greens, the club is is hosting its first ever Women's Amateur Championship tournament.

“My mouth dropped open and I felt so proud,” legendary golfer Nancy Lopez told Cheddar.

Alongside other female World Golf Hall of Fame members, Lopez unveiled the tournament’s trophy in New York City on Wednesday. The trophy was designed in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. and was made from spun sterling silver and 24K yellow gold. Its detailing depicts the event’s logo and the namesake flowers of each hole at Augusta National.

The 54-hole Women's Amateur Championship will be held from April 3 to 6 -- a week before the Masters -- and include 72 players from around the world.

“I thought this was the right time to do this, right time for the women’s game. I wanted to do this and I wanted to do it here,” Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, said in 2018 when the tournament was announced.

Lopez told Cheddar that she hoped the tournament will shine a national spotlight on women’s golf and pressure other clubs to hold more high-profile tournaments for women.

“With the pride of these players playing there, I think it will open a lot more doors for these ladies,” she said.

As a Mexican-American woman, Lopez challenged traditional archetypes in golf as she won 48 Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour events, including three major championships. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987.

The women’s tournament will feature top players, such as Sierra Brooks, and other top players from around the world, including Leonie Harm of Germany, Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, and Emma Spitz of Austria.

“I think it is tremendous to be able to give these lady amateurs an opportunity like this,” Lopez said. “Never did I think it would be able to happen.”

NBC will broadcast the final round of the tournament globally.

For full interview click here.