When Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Carla Bernat Escuder got back to her hotel Saturday evening, the Spanish players in the field were standing in the hall clapping and singing "Olé, Olé, Olé." When she called her swing coach Victor Garcia, he serenaded her with “We are the Champions.”
Garcia’s son, Sergio, the 2017 Masters champion, was among those who sent a congratulatory note, along with LPGA player Carlota Ciganda and former NBA player Pau Gasol.
She had more than 200 messages on WhatsApp, over 100 on iMessage and a slew of Instagram DMs. The 21-year-old Kansas State senior carried on the celebration at a local steakhouse, dining on both a ribeye and T-Bone, washed down with some wine.
She and a friend stayed up until 2 a.m. watching a replay of the back nine.
“I’m still like, that’s not me on the TV,” she said beaming.
Bernat Escuder was back at Augusta National on Sunday to pass out hardware to participants in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. She plans to return to Kansas on Tuesday to get back to class and prep for the Big 12 Championship. Then it’s off to the Chevron Championship, April 24-27, for her first LPGA appearance. Last December, Bernat Escuder played in the Women's Spanish Open on the Ladies European Tour and tied for 14th.
As for the tattoo she plans to get, Bernat Escuder has decided on an azalea. She already has a lightning bolt on her forearm.
Fitting for the petite Spaniard whose flashes of brilliance on Saturday etched her name into history.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Augusta women's champion celebrates with wine, two kinds of steak
