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The Augusta National Women’s Amateur will start on Wednesday at the Champions Retreat Golf Club. The event will be contested over 54 holes and will feature a 72-player field consisting of the best amateur women's players in the world. 45 of the current top 50 women's amateur players will be competing for the title.
Here's a look at 7 golfers to watch out for at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur:
1) Anna Davis
Last year, when everyone was betting on other top-ranked amateur players to win the event, the then World No. 100 amateur Anna Davis carded a final round of 69, surprising everyone to become the youngest-ever ANWA champion.
In one year, she has climbed up to No. 9 in the world and has competed in seven LPGA events and made the cut in 5 of them. She has had a good season so far, securing two wins already at the Junior Orange Bowl International and Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
2) Ingrid Lindblad
Lindblad has performed well at ANWA but has never been able to cross the final hurdle. She was tied for third place in 2021, followed by a runner-up finish last year, when she was the favorite for the title.
Lindblad had a chance to win with two eagles and three birdies in the final round, but a bogey on the last hole meant she missed the title by one stroke. In 2021, she missed the playoffs by a single stroke. She'll be hoping that luck finally favors her this year.
3) Rose Zhang
The odds are in Zhang's favor to win at the Champions Retreat Golf Club, given the fact that she has won five of her six starts this season. The Stanford sophomore made the cut in three majors last year.
The 19-year-old recently broke the record for the longest streak as WAGR No 1, which was previously held by Lydia Ko. However, her best performance at ANWA so far has been T-3, which she will hope to improve this year.
4) Amari Avery
Avery will be making her third appearance at ANWA this year. Her best finish came last year when she finished fourth. The USC sophomore has had six top-15 finishes in her eight starts this season, including a win.
5) Saki Baba
Saki Baba made her breakthrough in 2022 when she won the US Women's Amateur at Chambers Bay, beating Monet Chun by the third-largest victory margin in the tournament's history, 11-and-9.
Baba became the first Japanese woman to win the tournament in 37 years. She also captured two amateur titles in Asia in 2022. Last month she finished T-34 in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
6) Tsubasa Kajitani
Kajitani won the 2021 ANWA by shooting 72 in the final round, but she didn't return last year to defend her title. She hasn't played consistently since her ANWA win, which has caused her ranking to slip from No. 5 in 2021 to No. 163.
7) Megha Ganne
Ganne is a 19-year-old freshman at Stanford. In the 2021 US Women's Amateur Open, she finished 14th. She has four top-10 finishes for the Cardinal this season, including a second-place finish in the Carmel Cup. In her last two ANWA appearances, Ganne has missed the cut, which she will look to change this time.
Where to watch the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur?
The 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur will be telecast on the Golf Channel on all three days. The Round 1 telecast will start at 1:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
