Hello Golf Patrons, that is what fans are called at the Augusta National Golf Club. I arrived on Augusta National premises Saturday morning at 9:14 to start 9 days of coverage of events from this magical place. My office for the next few days will be the newly renovated Augusta National Media Center which you can view HERE.
Today was the final round of the 54 Hole Augusta National Women’s Amateur which started on Thursday. The initial field of 72 was reduced to the top 30 and ties after the second round with the cut line at 143. The first 36 holes were played at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. Everyone played a practice round at Augusta National on Saturday including those not making the cut. The final 32 players teed it up today. The leader starting the round was Asterisk Talley from Stanford University who had a 1 shot lead over eventual winner Maria Jose Marin from the University of Arkansas. Talley started the day at 11 under and increased that to 14 under until she bogeyed hole 11 which is a 400-yard par 4 dropping her to 13 under. Meanwhile Marin had started her ascent getting to 13 under at Hole 9.
So, from Hole 11 on it was on and popping! Did I mention that Hole 11 is the start of Amen Corner which has been the site of many problems, issues and meltdowns over the years for many golfers? Today was no different. Talley rung up a whopping 7 on Hole 12 which is 145-yard par 3 over water, dropping 4 more strokes to go to 9 under. Marin parred the hole and took the outright lead at 13 under. They both birdied Hole 13 and now Marin is 14 under and Talley is 4 back. Talley pars Hole 14, bogeys 15, doubles 16, birdies 17, and a par on 18, but the damage has been done as she finishes 8 under for the tournament. Marin pars 14 bogeys, 15 birdies 16, and finishes with pars on 17 and 18, finishing at 14 under good enough to win this tournament which started in 2019. The full tournament results are listed here.
I should mention that Talley’s Stanford teammate, Andrea Revuelta, was also making her charge up the leaderboard as she started the day at 6 under and finished at 10 under for second place.
What a great day for the Stanford University women’s golf team with players finishing 2nd, T-4 , T-4 and 9th at Augusta National. Could this be a sign of things to come at the NCAA Championships next month?
The other golfer of interest to me was Emily Odwin from St. James Barbados who plays for Southern Methodist University. She made the cut; 40 golfers did not. She finished the tournament at T-27 at 2 over par. Her stats were as follows, Driving Distance, 269.4-yard average, ranking her 11th in the field. She was 23 of 42 fairways Hit at 54.76% and 40 of 54 Greens in Regulation at 74.07% ranking her 7th in that category. She finished with 91 Putts over 54 holes which is a 1.69 Putting average ranking her 22nd in that category. So, a respectable outing but work to do for sure. However, listening to her interviews, she possesses great poise and confidence in her game. I am pulling for her to achieve more.
I also like to talk with patrons on the course and find out why they are attending Augusta National. Here are a few of the people I talked with about their experience:
Ben Davis, an IT specialist from Greensboro, SC and a new golfer. He won a ticket thru the Augusta National ticket lottery and drove up for the day. He has just started his golf career and has admittedly gotten golf fever. He even talked about looking for an IT job in Golf.
Atlanta’s Maynard Jackson High school golf coach, Charles Turner who was serving as a chaperone for a group of young ladies. He is passionate and avid as we talked about his desire to give back to the community including his coordinating the Veterans Coalition Foundation 5th Annual Tournament, Friday June 26 at the Crystal Lake Golf Course in Hampton, GA.
Mr. White, who is with the City of Augusta and has been coming to the Masters tournament for 44 years and likes to bring people to Augusta and introduce them to the game.
I had the pleasure of meeting several young ladies from the Her Shot golf program based in Atlanta. They were accompanied by program Founder Bria Janelle Townsend whose grandfather, Ron Townsend, was the first Black member of Augusta National and was Bria’s inspiration to start the program. They were eager to share their stories and career aspirations. Their enthusiasm, articulation and presence was indeed a pleasure.
Her Shot is a youth development program and leadership platform designed to prepare youth ages 11–18 for education, workforce participation, and long-term self-sufficiency through the game of golf. Her Shot upholds: accountability, work ethic, opportunity, and upward mobility. Her Shot is built on the belief that access paired with structure creates outcomes. The program focuses on providing youth with the tools, expectations, and exposure necessary to develop leadership skills, confidence, and readiness for real-world success—both on and off the golf course.
Special Thanks to the sponsors listed here who are supporting the magazine’s efforts in covering the activities at the Augusta National Golf Course. DECISIVE MEDIA, EBONY GREENS, TOMMY BURNS GOLF CHALLENGE COINS, LLC
MASTERS DAILY REPORT SPONSORED BY:
I talked to many more people, but I think you get a sense of the passion and excitement that we bring to this sport and $102B industry. We have so many gifts to share, and I am grateful to meet just some of the people on course Saturday. Happy Easter to everyone and please continue to share your gifts and insights with the community. We are “Growing the Game.”
