Meet Le Ann Finger, The Woman Behind The U.S. Four-Ball

The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship is arriving to Desert Mountain in May, and Le Ann Finger is more than ready.

Finger started her golf journey in West Des Moines, Iowa, where a 5th grade basketball teammate invited her to a range session. It didn't take long for Finger to realize golf was meant to be more than a hobby. 

As Finger became immersed in the game, her parents joined Des Moines Country Club, eager to help their daughter's golf interest blossom into something more, despite their unfamiliarity with the game.

"When I was in seventh grade, my grandparents had asked what I wanted for a birthday gift, and I said a subscription to Golf Digest, and I got a subscription to Reader's Digest," Finger laughed. "Nobody in my family knew about golf, so they didn't know about Golf Digest."

Finger's career escalated quickly, playing in interclub matches around the Des Moines area throughout her high school years and taking home the team state championship title three times. After her successful high school career, Finger used her four years of collegiate eligibility competing at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. 

"I had the good fortune upon graduating from St. Olaf to fill in and be the golf coach there for a season," Finger said. "After that, I worked in the financial services industry for 10 years before I had the opportunity to get into the golf industry in the late 90s." 

Finger got her start working in golf as an assistant golf professional at the Northfield Golf Club for four years, sharing a town with her alma mater. While working at the golf club, Finger also took on the St. Olaf College men's and women's head coaching job from 2000-2006, as one of the five women in the country heading a men's collegiate golf program. 

After the coaching period of her career, Finger traveled south to Florida where she led the National Promotion team at The PGA of America, working on Patriot Golf Day, the PGA Junior Golf League, and Drive, Chip, and Putt.

Le Ann Finger, the current Championship Director of the U.S. Four-Ball at Desert Mountain

With an opportunity to travel westward, Finger and her husband moved to Arizona to work remotely at a job she previously had, but only for her first year in the Valley. In 2017, she was hired by the Arizona Golf Association (at the time the Arizona Women's Golf Association), to run player development programs and women's tournaments. 

Once the merge of the Arizona Women's Golf Association and the Arizona Golf Association commenced later in 2019, Finger took on the position of tournament director, finishing her six years with the association in that role. 

Upon her departure at AZ GOLF, Finger had the opportunity to start at Desert Mountain as an assistant head golf professional, a role she took at the Chiricahua Course (one of the seven courses Desert Moutain offers to its 2,200  members). In summer of 2025, Finger transitioned to the tournament department at Desert Mountain as the assistant tournament director, simultaneously beginning her position as the Championship Director for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Desert Mountain Golf Club. 

"About five months into my job, I was asked by our director of golf if I'd be interested in serving as the liaison for the U.S. Four-Ball Championship," Finger said. "So I've been in that additional role since June of 2024, planning for the championship that we'll host next month."

Tournament conditions must be exceptional for players, caddies and even spectators for the entire week. So, while it may come as a shock to some, Finger does not exaggerate saying preparation takes two years for a golf tournament.

"We've been meeting since August 2024 with key leaders from various departments across Desert Mountain. Agronomy, Food & Beverage, Security, HOA, Membership," Finger said. "We first met monthly, then twice a month, now we're meeting weekly, and in May we'll be meeting every day. The championship itself takes place May 16th to the 20th, so we're just planning and executing all kinds of opportunities to welcome the players to the desert, some really fun wow factors."

The two practice rounds take place at the Outlaw and Cochise Courses, the same as the stroke play qualifying rounds May 16-17. After qualifying, players will be paired down to the Round of 32, which starts Monday, May 18. With a full week of players on the courses and practice facilities, Finger is managing much more than tee markers and pin locations. 

"There are so many moving pieces to this, like our food and beverage team alone, has prepared 15 BEO's (Banquet Event Orders), because every time we serve breakfast and lunch, we have to plan for that," Finger explained. "We have a big player welcome reception on Thursday evening, and a championship barbecue on Sunday, so there's been a lot of planning and variables. We prepared a document called "Run of Show", which is currently 32 pages, with a page for each day."

Just one month away from the first tee shot, Finger and her Desert Mountain team are keen on providing the amateur field a world-class experience in the 11th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

"I'm hopeful we've prepared for any unforeseen thing that could pop up," she said, "But we also have the team and the ability to react in a quick and professional manner if we need to."