Augusta National Women’s Amateur: What to watch for

This week, for the fourth time in 5 years, one of the best beginner ladies’s gamers on this planet will descend upon Augusta, Georgia, forward of the fourth installment of the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Novice.

In only a quick time period, the ANWA has turn into a premier showcase of the abundance of expertise within the ladies’s beginner recreation and one of the anticipated occasions of the golf season. From 16-year-olds able to win to a deep worldwide subject to viral bucket hats and one of the best beginner participant on this planet, this occasion has loads of returning gamers and a plethora of storylines.

Listed below are just a few that we’re wanting ahead to.

Can Anna Davis be the primary to defend her title?

The lady with the bucket hat is again, and he or she is ready to defend her surprising win finally 12 months’s occasion when she was 16 years previous. Davis admitted earlier this week in her information convention that, though being aware of the match and the programs (the primary two rounds are performed at close by Champions Retreat) will likely be useful this time round, the lack of some naivete about the whole expertise is perhaps a problem.

“Going into final 12 months I did not actually know any of the historical past, I did not know a lot about it, and I feel that gave me a bonus on the sector, simply probably not feeling the stress of being at Augusta Nationwide,” Davis stated. “I feel it is somewhat totally different this 12 months, as a result of now the highlight goes to be on me taking part in on that golf course. So I feel it is perhaps somewhat of an obstacle, however I do not suppose I can let it get in my head.”

Davis spoke to the media final week from her room at Champions Retreat, the place she stayed and practiced earlier than the match. The timing was lucky. She was completed with midterms throughout her first 12 months at Auburn and heading into spring break, permitting her time to follow on the course the place she might want to carry out properly twice to make it to the ultimate spherical at Augusta Nationwide.

“I feel it is neglected within the media how onerous this golf course is,” Davis stated “It is mentally very difficult to play this golf course, realizing that you must play properly right here simply to get to play Augusta on the ultimate day. There’s simply not a single gap on this golf course you can lose deal with.”

From being a junior golfer and one of many youngest finally 12 months’s match to sounding like a seasoned veteran, life has come at Davis fairly quick since she received the ANWA and have become a viral sensation for her bucket hat. It hasn’t affected her efficiency, nonetheless. The eighth-ranked beginner golfer on this planet is coming off a win on the Sage Valley Junior Invitational, a top-five end on the Dustin Johnson World Junior and a win on the Junior Orange Bowl Invitational.

Davis stated she had discussions about turning professional after taking part in in some LPGA occasions final 12 months, however she finally determined it wasn’t the time and that she needed to expertise faculty, too.

“On the finish of the day I made a decision I wanted extra expertise in several conditions, you already know totally different sorts of stress conditions,” Davis stated. “I’ve by no means actually had that earlier than the place I’ve to win, or I’ve to make a putt to win. Or I’ve to return again and win, stuff like that made me determine that I wanted extra expertise within the beginner aspect of golf. And you already know, have a life for just a few years exterior of golf.”

As for this 12 months’s title protection, Davis did say she’ll have her bucket hat in tow, however her temper will decide whether or not she wears it. One factor she won’t be having no matter her temper? Pimento cheese sandwiches.

“I do know the pimento cheese is a very huge factor,” Davis stated with fun, “however I simply cannot recover from how gross it’s.”

Is the fourth time the attraction for Rose Zhang?

All eyes are on Rose Zhang — and for good purpose. The highest beginner participant on this planet is in solely her second 12 months at Stanford, however at 19 years previous, her résumé can already fill a small e book.

Zhang received the U.S. Ladies’s Novice in 2020, the U.S. Women Junior championship in 2021 in addition to each the workforce and particular person NCAA championships in 2022. Her particular person accolades embrace profitable the McCormick Medal (the highest beginner on this planet) three totally different occasions, the ANNIKA award (prime ladies’s beginner) twice in addition to a slew of different Pac-12 honors.

She has additionally made the minimize in any respect 4 majors she has appeared in, together with a T-11 end on the Chevron Championship in 2020. You get the purpose. Zhang is not simply good — she has received almost every thing doable as an beginner. Besides the ANWA.

In three appearances on the match, Zhang has completed tied for seventeenth, tied for third and tied for twelfth. She has carried out properly, but it surely’s a testomony to the depth of the sector (and the game as a complete) that she has but to win at this occasion.

It is unclear what number of extra occasions Zhang will play at this occasion — she opted to return to high school after her freshman 12 months and would not look like in a rush to show skilled. Nevertheless it’s additionally onerous to think about her having a greater shot the way in which she’s taking part in. Zhang has completed first in six of her previous seven occasions. There is not any doubt she’s prepared for the professional recreation, however including a win at ANWA to her intensive résumé could be the becoming crown jewel on prime of her dominant beginner profession.

Do not forget about Ingrid Lindblad

Whereas Zhang is perhaps the main focus of many, a 23-year-old from Sweden taking part in in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ought to garner consideration, too. Nobody with a number of appearances at ANWA has performed extra constantly than Ingrid Lindblad.

In 2021, Lindblad tied with Zhang and her Stanford teammate Rachel Heck for third, one stroke behind the leaders (Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani went on to beat Emilia Migliaccio in a playoff). Throughout final 12 months’s match, the LSU senior fell one stroke wanting Davis and completed tied for second.

Regardless of the loss, the end result appeared to gas her for the remainder of the season. Two weeks after ANWA, Lindblad received the SEC title and completed third within the NCAA championships. Then, she went to the U.S. Ladies’s Open at Pine Needles and proceeded to hover across the prime of a leaderboard crammed with the sport’s greatest professionals all through the week. She ended up ending eleventh however took residence the match’s 18-hole beginner report in addition to a number of recent followers of her recreation and affable demeanor on the rostrum.

“I do not suppose I ever realized what occurred,” Lindblad stated a day after breaking the report on the U.S. Open in June. “I do not suppose I notice how huge it’s. It is like everytime you come to a giant beginner match, like after I performed Augusta for the primary time final 12 months, I used to be like, I did not notice how huge that is till you get there and all the eye you get.”

The eye hasn’t stopped for Lindblad, as a result of she has solely continued to play higher. Since being within the U.S. Open highlight, the LSU Tiger who — as her coach stated, famously ordered child again ribs on her recruiting go to — has had seven top-10 finishes and one win. All of it led to her changing into the No. 2-ranked beginner on this planet and one of many names to observe as she will get one other crack at including the ANWA title to her beginner profession.

Worldwide expertise, homegrown stars

Past Lindblad, the crop of worldwide gamers on this 12 months’s subject at Augusta is stellar and deep. Greater than half of the gamers within the subject — 41 of 72 to be actual — are from exterior the US, led by 10 gamers from Japan, probably the most from any nation within the occasion’s quick historical past.

Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani returns to ANWA after a one-year hiatus. The then-17-year-old received the 2021 match in a playoff regardless of not having a single win over two years heading into the occasion. However maybe the most important identify from Japan is 17-year-old Saki Baba, who’s contemporary off profitable the U.S. Ladies’s Novice final 12 months at Chambers Bay in dominating style. Baba took down her opponent 11 and 9 within the remaining match due to aggressive method play and the great old school technique of creating each single putt.

Baba is a star within the making and though she’s prone to set her sights on the skilled recreation ultimately, a much-anticipated ANWA look for the teenager from Tokyo may see her lifting the trophy by Sunday.

On the American aspect, one may wager on any of the members of the profitable 2022 Curtis Cup workforce. All members of the workforce that features Zhang acquired invitations to the match. Zhang’s teammate Rachel Heck won’t be able to compete due to a shoulder harm, however standouts like USC sophomore Amari Avery (who completed tied for fourth final 12 months and is No. 9 on this planet), Stanford freshman Megha Ganne, Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn (No. 4 on this planet) and the aforementioned Migliaccio all have the expertise to be on the prime of the leaderboard this week.

Then once more, if this match has proven something thus far, it is that the favorites do not often find yourself profitable and underdogs have simply pretty much as good a chance to make a run. Between Kajitani and Davis (who was ranked a hundredth going into final 12 months’s ANWA), the door will as soon as once more be vast open for any participant within the subject to sew collectively three nice rounds of golf and are available out on prime.