The 61st Women’s Maine State Golf Association championship tournament takes place Monday through Wednesday at the Augusta Country Club.

Leading the field of 124 golfers will be defending champion Julie Green of Bangor, who is also the association’s current president.

Green tees off at 7:28 a.m. with 1990 state runnerup Lori Frost of Calais, Lisa Jensen of Falmouth and independent Martha White, who tied for fourth place last year.

The second group, teeing off at 7:36 a.m., will be led by Cindy Choate of Naples, who finished third in last year’s tournament, with No. 8 finisher Mary Ann Todd of Oakdale, No. 10 Jane Diplock of Augusta, and Pennie Cummings of Springbrook.

Bernice Vadnais of Biddeford-Saco tied for sixth last year with Jeanne Dumont of Augusta. Vadnais leads a threesome teeing off at 7:44 a.m. and Dumont is in a foursome that tees off at 7:52 a.m.

The 54-hole event unofficially gets under way Sunday with a practice round beginning at 12:30 p.m. Golfers must arrange their own tee times for this round.

The highlight of the first round is the tournament banquet, which will be held in the clubhouse Monday evening. The WMSGA memorial trophy, in memory of deceased members of the WMSGA, is presented following the banquet to the golfer with the low net score for the first round.

According to championship committee chairman Dottie Reed, the course is in excellent condition. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen it,” she said, “but the greens are fast. And I mean fast.”

During a recent member-guest tournament, in which several of the top contenders participated, they found the greens a little unsettling, Reed said.

Reed has put in her order for perfect weather, hoping that the heat wave of the past few days will have passed by Monday’s opening round.

Perhaps the issue of greatest concern to Reed and others involved in the tournament, is the lack of junior competitors.

“We have just two juniors registered, Rebecca Darcy of Bath and Angela Stewart of Augusta,” she said. “And that’s terrible. We just don’t have the young girls out on the course.”

Reed said any junior, who has not reached her 18th birthday or who is not in college, is eligible to compete.

“All they have to do is come and sign up. Play and particpate, that’s all,” she said. “They can register any time. We’d love to have them.”

Members of the host club who have been working on the tournametn include Rules Committee co-chairmen Barbara Plummer and Stacia Baron, Hospitality co-chairmen Esther Pattershall and Rita Godbout, Prize co-chairmen Marion Botka and Priscilla Redman, Starters co-chairmen Joan McClay and Alice Marcy, Publicity co-chairmen Barbara Stokes and Ruby Wilson, and Housing co-chairmen Tip Schneider and Carol Barry.

“They’ve done a lot of work getting ready for this tournament,” Reed said. “One reason we went with co-chairmen was to make sure we were covered if some were competing on the tournament.”

The leaders will tee off last in Wednesday’s final round, with the awards ceremony ollowing the conclusion of the event.