That dream finale, birdie at 17 and birdie at 18, will never be forgotten by Cayetana Fernández. Cata won over the crowd in the third and final round of the last edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), an event that in just four editions has become the pinnacle of amateur women’s golf, with 72 of the world’s best fighting for a prestigious trophy that culminates in the last 18 holes, as they are played by the top 30 and ties, after the first two days at the Champions Retreat Golf Club, in the coliseum that hosts the Masters.
The Armada has had representation on all occasions, with special mention to 2023, when there were four Spanish women in contention, with Cata finishing in fourth position with -3, the best position so far for our players; Carolina López Chacarra, Julia López Ramírez and Carla Tejedo missed the cut.
Kupcho hace historia y Celia Barquín recibe el mejor homenaje
This has been the time with the highest participation of Spanish women in the ANWA, but the record will be shattered in the next edition, which will be held from April 3 to 6 (3 and 4 at the Champions Retreat, the 5 all will be able to train at the Augusta National and the 6 will compete for the title on this mythical course those who pass the cut). The Armada will have a minimum of six golfers in this event and perhaps seven in the end, and there is even the possibility that there may be even eight, although it seems unlikely. We explain.
The qualification system is as follows: the 30 best Americans in the world ranking in the last update of 2023 who have not entered by another category (NCAA champion, US Women’s Amateur champion, winners of this tournament in recent years…), the 30 best internationals in the world ranking in the last update of 2023 who have not entered by another category and players invited by the organisation to complete a field of 72.
The world ranking is updated every Wednesday of each week, but so far this update has not occurred. In any case, the list will vary little from the one currently published. And in it appear six Spanish women among the top 32 in the ranking and seven in the top 50. That is, Cata Fernández (2nd in the world), Julia López (4th), Rocío Tejedo (14th), Andrea Revuelta (20th), Paula Martín (28th) and Carolina López Chacarra (32nd and who will face her fourth participation) have secured the card that the organisation sends to the lucky ones every January.
It remains to be seen if Carla Bernat (49th before the last update of 2023) will enter as one of the top 30 internationals in the ranking and it is very likely that this will happen, as the also Castellonense Carla Tejedo received the sealed envelope at the beginning of the year when she had finished 2022 in the 51st position of the world ranking. Lucía López Ortega (66th) is too far down the list to be able to access, although an ANWA invitation is not ruled out. The Balearic from San José State finished as runner-up in the NCAA this year. The winner of the university league does have a ticket for this event, but as it is Rose Zhang (on the other hand, defender of the title in Augusta) and turning professional just before summer, the place is left free and perhaps the organisation will kindly offer the invitation to Lucía López Ortega.
In such a case, there would be eight Spanish women participating in the ANWA, although surely there will be six and almost surely there will be seven, a brutal record for the Armada, which has demonstrated this year, with the titles of European team champions under 18 and absolute, plus the individual gold of Julia López and the silver of Carla Bernat, that Spanish amateur women’s golf has enviable health.
It should be remembered that in the first edition (2019) there were two Spanish women in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (Ainhoa Olarra, twelfth, and Marta Pérez, twenty-first) and the victory went to the American Jennifer Kupcho; in 2021 the Armada was represented by Ana Peláez (twelfth) and Carol López Chacarra (did not pass the cut), with the title going to the Japanese Tsubasa Kajitani; in 2022 López Chacarra and Carla Bernat competed (did not pass the cut) and the American Anna Davis won, and in the already mentioned 2023 Cata Fernández, López Chacarra, Julia López and Carla Tejedo were present, with the trophy going to Rose Zhang.
Spain will shatter, with six, seven and even eight players, the record of golfers in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which until now was four. Another milestone to tip your hat to.
