Does it surprise anyone that, in 2013, there is not an established if informal summer tour for the finest female, non-junior, amateur golfers in the U.S.?

It should and there isn’t.

Along with the USGA and a few scattered events, the members of the Niagara Falls Country Club (NY) will take a large step to establish such a circuit.

The Women’s Porter Cup debuts June 12 to the 14. It is most fitting that the host club for one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur events elects to inaugurate a women’s championship. For years, male and senior male amateurs have enjoyed an unofficial tour of amateur events, while the select female amateurs have depended on a brief, Florida-centered winter tour and a series of USGA events for competition.

The contestants of the first Women’s Porter Cup will follow 55 years of tradition on the men’s side and 24 senior amateur contests. Participants range in age from 15 to 35, with current members of university teams making up the majority of entrees. Chelsea Dantonio, the medalist at the recent Section VI Western New York State Public High School Qualifier, is the youngest entrant while Meghan Stasi, the defending and four-time USGA Mid-Amateur champion, anchors the veteran guard.

The men’s edition of the Porter Cup is viewed by many as the premier stroke-play amateur event in the country and is a step below only the U.S. and Western amateurs in prestige. The men’s senior edition, contested in September, has established itself as a fine event with a loyal following among the top older amateurs.

Now comes the women’s event, in an era that finds women’s sports reaching a greater following among participants and fans alike. How will this particular event succeed? Tournament director Brian Oakley, an NFCC member and director of Boeing programs for Magellan Aerospace, explains the charted course.

“Our men’s par is 70. We [anticipate that] the women’s event [will play to a] par of 72 by turning some of the longer par 4 holes into 5s. We expect to have the course play between 6200 and 6300 yards. We will feature a practice round for all competitors on June 11, followed by a three-day, no-cut event.”

The Porter Cup has long been known for its spirit of hospitality. Oakley confirmed that this same esprit will be a hallmark of the women’s event.

“On Wednesday evening after play we will take all the competitors for a tour of the Niagara River and Falls on the Maid of the Mist. Thursday evening features our player dinner on the patio at NFCC, overlooking the breathtaking Niagara River gorge. On Friday after play, we will award our inaugural crystal champion’s trophy to the first tournament champion.”

Like its older siblings, the Women’s Porter Cup will welcome a field of talented golfers. Headlining the field are Stasi and a number of top college golfers. Casie Cathrea (Oklahoma State), Zoe-Beth Brake (Ohio State), Jessica Hoang (Clemson) and Wanasa Zhou (Arkansas) will compete as university freshmen next fall. Emily Collins (Oklahoma) is a rising senior who competed in May at the NCAA championships for the ninth-place Sooners.

The most formidable collegiate entrant is Grace Na (Pepperdine), who averaged a shade over 72 strokes per round as a junior for the Wave, then earned First Team All America honors. Among the local favorites are Rene Sobolewski (Buffalo-Vanderbilt University), Catherine Peters (Clarence-University of Michigan) and Michelle Hanes (Elma-Jacksonville University.)

The Niagara Falls country club course provides a number of opportunities to go low at the beginning of each nine. The par five 4th and 11th holes yield a healthy number of birdies to regular and senior Porter Cup contestants, and the same should hold true at the Women’s event. The middle portion of each side represents the grind, where stringent holes present a manageable yet stern challenge to contestants. The final quadrilateral has offered its share of dramatic finishes throughout the 60 years of tournament competition.

The driveable par-four No. 15, the formidable par-three Nos. 16 and 18, and the long, uphill par-four No. 17 (which may convert to a par 5 for the Women’s edition) will certainly fix themselves in the players’ minds as the final leg of road well traveled. At twilight on June 14, a special contestant will raise the first of many crystal champions trophies to come at the Women’s Porter Cup.

Click here for more information on the Porter Cup events, which are still opened for entry.