Apr. 7—AUGUSTA, Ga. — The preliminaries are over. Now the golf world awaits the main event as the 89th Masters Tournament gets underway April 10.
But over the weekend, there was plenty of action as the top female amateurs and younger competitors got a taste of Augusta National Golf Club.
Patrons, meanwhile, got their first glimpse of Augusta National after Tropical Storm Helene caused heavy damage throughout the area six months ago.
Shoppers also were able to get their first crack at coveted Masters merchandise, including the gnome that sells out early each morning.
Here's a recap of the weekend:
Spaniard wins ANWA
During a week of record-breaking low scores at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, it was Carla Bernat Escuder's three consecutive rounds of 4-under-par rounds of 68 that won her the tournament at 12-under overall.
"It feels amazing," she said during the trophy presentation interview. "I feel over the moon. Right now I don't think my brain has processed that I won."
The Spaniard came into the final round at Augusta National 8-under, just one stroke back from leaders Lottie Woad and Kiara Romero. With four birdies and just one bogey on her front nine, she quickly climbed the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Woad's 10-under.
While Bernat Escuder came into the day in the second to last group, just behind the leaders, in her mind she still felt like an underdog.
"From the very beginning of the tournament," she said. "But I wasn't looking at the people that was behind me. I was looking at the winners, the ones on top of the leaderboard, because that's how it helps me play better."
Then Woad double-bogeyed hole 11, giving Bernat Escuder a firm grasp of first place going into her final nine, where she continued to pick up steam.
She said the final nine holes were the most crucial to her win and that she knew from watching past Masters Tournaments she'd need to be locked into those holes for a strong finish.
"I knew the tournament was going to start on No. 10 because I've watched all the Masters," Bernat Escuder said. "As soon as I hit that second shot, I was like, oh, I need to get it together and just get this par, and I dig in, and I think that was the key."
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Kansas State golfer because former Junior Invitational at Sage Valley champion Asterisk Talley was right on her tail with birdies on 16 and 17. Like Bernat Escuder, Talley knew how important those final nine holes are and she knew how to play them to her strengths.
It all came down to the final hole, where Bernat Escuder held just a one-stroke lead. Anything less than par would mean either a playoff against the 16-year-old or a loss.
And consistency has been the name of the game for her all week, so with a par she cemented herself in ANWA history as the sixth winner of the prestigious title and the first from Spain.
"It's pretty cool," Bernat Escuder said. "Hopefully it doesn't stay like that because I want more Spaniards to get here and keep pushing our country up and up. Yeah, hopefully, I'm not the last one."
Drive, Chip and Putt
It's not often a local golfer earns a spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club.
But Shane Strickland had the support of every Aikenite outside the ropes April 6 in his debut appearance in the kids' tournament. He said the support meant a lot to him but he knew he had to stay locked in on each section as cheers came from the crowd.
"I felt good," he said. "I also wanted to smile but I knew I had to stay focused."
Shane finished tied for seventh place with a ...
