Gracing the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club in April has seemingly become tradition for Megha Ganne and Alexa Phung. This year, each placed their names in the record books while competing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals, respectively.
The 21-year-old Ganne shot out of the gates in the first round of what was her fifth appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Ganne – the No. 12 amateur in the world entering the event – fired a 9-under 63 at Champions Retreat Golf Club to place herself at the top of the leaderboard. The bogey-free round marked the lowest in the event’s six-year history as Ganne edged former Stanford teammate Rose Zhang’s 65 from 2023.
While the Holmdel, N.J., native closed with rounds of 73-73 at Champions Retreat and Augusta National Golf Club to finish in a tie for seventh, she took a lot from the week and looks forward to a strong finish to her junior year at Stanford.
“I thought I played great golf, just couldn’t buy a putt to go in the hole,” said Ganne after her final round on April 5. “But I put myself in all the spots I needed to be. I made the turn in a good position, and I just needed putts to fall, and they didn’t. But, really proud of my golf game and the direction it’s headed.”
Ganne has advanced to the final round of Augusta National Golf Club each of the last three years, expanding her experience on the hallowed grounds after being a four-time Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist – where Phung took over the stage on April 6.
Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y., captured her second Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals title, doing so in the Girls 12-13 division after winning the Girls 10-11 in 2023. Phung amassed 26 points in the event, taking third in the drive, and second in both the chip and putt to register consistent top finishes across all three disciplines. She became the Drive, Chip & Putt’s fourth two-time champion, joining Alexa Pano, Treed Huang, and Yana Wilson.
Overall, this was Phung’s fourth appearance at the National Finals, which included 2021 when both she and her older sister Amelie made it to the last stage of the DCP competition. Alexa doesn’t plan on it being her last appearance in a pre-Masters event, saying, “I’m looking forward to maybe coming back in the future for the next two years for DCP and potentially for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.”