AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | In only its sixth year as the latest tradition unlike another during the extended festivities at the home of the Masters, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur may have given birth to an even newer tradition for its newest champion.
“Maybe a tattoo, we’ll see,” said 21-year-old Spaniard Carla Bernat Escuder of her plans to celebrate her one-shot victory over Asterisk Talley on Saturday at Augusta National. “I was thinking maybe the flower of Augusta, but I need to decide on that. It’s a big decision.”
The ANWA logo is a Magnolia flower and immortalizing it on her body would be in keeping with the M.O. of a younger generation of Spanish champions. Tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz gets tattoos to commemorate his Grand Slam victories – he has the date of his 2022 U.S. Open win, the Eiffel Tower for his 2024 French Open victory, a strawberry to represent his two Wimbledon triumphs and plans to add a kangaroo if he can complete his career slam at the Australian Open.
The ANWA has quickly grown into the biggest “major” in amateur women’s golf, and Bernat Escuder doesn’t want to let the biggest victory of her career fade away when she turns professional after graduating from Kansas State this summer.
“I felt like an underdog from the very beginning of the tournament.”
Carla Bernat Escuder
“It means everything to win this tournament,” she said. “It’s also such an honor.”
Among the seven players who started the final round within two shots of the lead, Bernat Escuder was not the favorite on anyone’s minds before she fired a 4-under 68 to finish one shot ahead of 16-year-old rising superstar Talley and three up on women’s world No. 1 and defending champion Lottie Woad.
“I felt like an underdog from the very beginning of the tournament,” said Bernat Escuder, who came in ranked No. 29 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. “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.”
Starting the day a shot behind co-leaders Woad and Kiara Romero, Bernat Escuder birdied the par-5 eighth and nearly holed out on No. 9 to climb to 11-under and into the lead for the first time heading to the back nine. Birdies on the par-5 13th and 15th pushed her to 13-under and gave her as much as a three-shot cushion on either Woad or Talley.
Woad, who a year ago birdied three of the last four holes to win by one, couldn’t conjure the same magic this time and took herself out with a bogey on 16 to fall four behind. Talley, however, birdied 17 and signed for 11-under with a 68 of her own playing right in front of Bernat Escuder.
When the Spaniard bogeyed 17, her lead was suddenly a skinny one stroke heading to the last. She was visibly relieved when her drive found the fairway on 18, but she couldn’t breathe safely until she holed a nervy 4-footer for par and the victory.
“It’s hard to describe with words, but I was just so happy and relieved that I made the putt because I saw on a scoreboard there was one girl that was just one shot behind me,” she said.
“I was looking to the scoreboard a lot. My caddie, my coach, was like, ‘Just focus on yourself and we’ll be fine.’ The last putt … I looked at the scoreboard and I was like, you need to knock this in because she’s right behind you. Yeah, and I did it.”
Bernat Escuder was joined by fellow Spaniards Andrea Revuelta (T4, 8-under) and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (9th, 6-under) in the top 10, and she adds her name to a revered roster of Spanish winners at Augusta National in Masters champions Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal, Sergio García and Jon Rahm.
Olazábal was on hand to congratulate Bernat Escuder, who hails from Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
“It means everything because he’s such a symbol for Spain,” she said of the two-time Masters champion’s presence. “I was really nervous because last year I saw him after playing and I called him the wrong last name. I said Larrazabal instead of Olazábal. He’s like, ‘That’s not me.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Talley, who finished T8 last year in her debut as a 15-year-old, adds an ANWA runner-up to her second-place finishes last summer in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur. She competed in three USGA finals last year, winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Sara Lim.
“I think I’m going to carry this with me throughout the whole year and throughout my whole career,” Talley said of a finish not quite tattoo-worthy. “I’m just going to wear that on my sleeve and just take it with me. I think it tells me that I can play against anybody, and I don’t have to be scared of any course or anybody in the field.”
Woad arrived for her title defense bursting with confidence. Since last spring’s NCAA regional and championship (where she finished runner-up individually), Woad had not finished outside the top three in 10 consecutive collegiate tournaments before coming to ANWA.
She was dialed in from the start and needed to be to keep pace with ANWA veteran Megha Ganne’s record-setting 9-under start at Champions Retreat. Woad posted a sterling 7-under 65 of her own to stake herself in second only two back after one round and then put herself back into the final pairing with a second-round 70 to head to Augusta National tied with Romero at 9-under.
Despite a quick birdie on No. 1 Saturday to claim the lead at 10-under, the English champion could never improve on that in shooting even-par 72 with four birdies, two bogeys and a devastating double on No. 10.
“I’m pretty frustrated,” she said after finishing three behind. “Played decent tee to green, just didn’t hole really any putts, and that’s what it came down to in the end.
“I mean, wasn’t as nice as last year, but still pretty good,” she said of her finish and the walk up No. 18.
The sixth ANWA got off to a flying start in the first round on Wednesday at Champions Retreat when Ganne, a Stanford junior, posted seven birdies and an eagle en route to a course and tournament record 9-under 63. It was also a career-low score in competition for Ganne.
“I had a feeling I was going to go low today but not this low,” said Ganne of the mark that beat former Cardinal teammate Rose Zhang’s second-round 65 when she won in 2023. “That’s probably the first time I can say I’ve beaten her in something.”
Ganne has become a regular competing in Augusta National events for a decade, playing in her fifth ANWA after previously competing in four Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, where she finished runner-up in her age group twice, in 2017 and 2019. She’s made three consecutive ANWA cuts, finishing T9 and T20 in 2023 and ’24, respectively.
She shot 73 on Saturday and settled for T7. All she’s missing is a winner’s trophy.
“I feel like there’s been a bow on it every year just getting to be here, so trying not really to think about it like that,” Ganne said of her collective experiences in what she calls “the most exciting week in amateur golf, men’s or women’s, period.”
“It’s definitely feeling more special this year and hopefully next year because I’ll be done with college by then. So it’s feeling more close to the end.”
Scott Michaux