AUGUSTA, Ga. – Day one of the Augusta National Women's Amateur is in the books, as players completed their first round of golf at the Champions Retreat Golf Course on Wednesday.
Competitors took part in the first of two rounds preliminary rounds that will decide who advances to the finals of the event, taking place on Saturday at the prestigious Augusta National Course. The Top-30 finishers after the first two rounds will earn a spot in the finals.
Freshman Alessandra Fanali (Fiuggi, Italy) put together one of the best rounds of the day, finishing two-under, currently tying her for fourth place on the leaderboard. Starting on the front nine, she looked sharp from the opening tee, birdying four of the first seven holes. Refusing to let a bogey on five phase her, she responded with a pair of birdies on the subsequent holes. She remained steady on the back nine, helping her finish at two-under (70) and putting her just two strokes back of the leader, Jennifer Kupcho.
Junior Olivia Mehaffey (Belfast, Northern Ireland) joins her current teammate Fanali in the Top-30 after day one of the competition. After earning her fourth Top-10 finish of the season at the 2019 PING/ASU Invitational, Mehaffey continues to shine on a big stage. She posted a 73 (+1), tying her for 21st and putting her in position to make the Top-30 cut. Mehaffey had the honor of being the first person to birdie a hole at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, accomplishing the feat on the third hole. She enjoyed success on the par-three holes, avoiding any bogeys while even picking up a birdie on the eighth hole. Mehaffey is part of a crowded group that sits two strokes back of eighth place.
Day two of the Augusta National Women's Amateur kicks off tomorrow, with Group 1 & 2 teeing off at 6 a.m. MST. For a full listing of tee times and the latest updates on the tournament, visit https://www.anwagolf.com/en_US/index.html.
Competitors took part in the first of two rounds preliminary rounds that will decide who advances to the finals of the event, taking place on Saturday at the prestigious Augusta National Course. The Top-30 finishers after the first two rounds will earn a spot in the finals.
After round one, two current Sun Devils find themselves in the Top-30, putting them in position to qualify for the final round. Three other Sun Devils remain within striking distance of the cut line with an entire round of golf still to be played tomorrow.ICYMI???: Head Coach @missymkaye discussed the significance of @SunDevilWGolf's presence at the @anwagolf in an interview with the Golf Channel this morning ?? https://t.co/2ScXckolY5
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) April 3, 2019
Freshman Alessandra Fanali (Fiuggi, Italy) put together one of the best rounds of the day, finishing two-under, currently tying her for fourth place on the leaderboard. Starting on the front nine, she looked sharp from the opening tee, birdying four of the first seven holes. Refusing to let a bogey on five phase her, she responded with a pair of birdies on the subsequent holes. She remained steady on the back nine, helping her finish at two-under (70) and putting her just two strokes back of the leader, Jennifer Kupcho.
Junior Olivia Mehaffey (Belfast, Northern Ireland) joins her current teammate Fanali in the Top-30 after day one of the competition. After earning her fourth Top-10 finish of the season at the 2019 PING/ASU Invitational, Mehaffey continues to shine on a big stage. She posted a 73 (+1), tying her for 21st and putting her in position to make the Top-30 cut. Mehaffey had the honor of being the first person to birdie a hole at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, accomplishing the feat on the third hole. She enjoyed success on the par-three holes, avoiding any bogeys while even picking up a birdie on the eighth hole. Mehaffey is part of a crowded group that sits two strokes back of eighth place.
The third current member of the Sun Devil Women's Golf team that is competing at the event is senior Sofia Anokhina (Moscow, Russia). She currently sits tied for 47th (+5) after the first round of play, sitting only three-strokes back of the Top-30 cut line. Kicking her round off at the 10th tee, Anokhina played even through the back nine. She ran into some trouble on the front nine, but recovered nicely by birdying the par-four seventh hole. Anokhina will have plenty of time to implement adjustments and make up ground with 18 more holes being played tomorrow.?? @OliviaMehaffey already making history ????? https://t.co/yF7mrbZfEw
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) April 3, 2019
Among some of the youngest competitors in the field, incoming Sun Devils Amanda Linner (Onsala, Sweden) and Linn Grant (Viken, Sweden) looked like they belonged in a field with 72 of the top female golf amateurs in the world. Both of the future Sun Devils started on the tenth tee, experiencing mixed results on the back nine. Showing maturity beyond their years, each individual bounced back with a much-improved front nine. Grant managed to make par on eight of the nine holes, recovering nicely to finish tied for 59th, posting a 79 (+7). Linner found similar success, recording a pair of birdies on the fourth and seventh hole, finishing the outing tied for 69th. While Linner may have turned in an 81 (+9), she finished the day strong, going one-under on her final three holes. With little separation created after day one, both competitors still remain within striking distance of the Top-30 cut line.That feeling when you drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time. #ANWAgolf pic.twitter.com/OkToblFfLT
— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 3, 2019
Day two of the Augusta National Women's Amateur kicks off tomorrow, with Group 1 & 2 teeing off at 6 a.m. MST. For a full listing of tee times and the latest updates on the tournament, visit https://www.anwagolf.com/en_US/index.html.