Carla Bernat is the standout figure of the day practically in the world of golf after becoming the first Spanish woman to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She quickly adds: “Hopefully there will be more soon. There are very good players.” She thinks big and thinks as a team.
On the decisive day at Augusta National, there was undoubtedly a key moment in the round, and it wasn’t any of the six birdies she achieved throughout the day, but rather the par she saved on the 10th hole of the iconic course.
This is how the Spaniard explained it: “I’ve watched the Masters all my life and I know that in the last nine holes a new tournament begins. That’s where everything is at stake, so when I hit the second shot and saw that the par was in danger, I said to myself ‘oops’. I knew I had to do everything possible to save it.”
After that second shot, she had to play an interesting approach. This is where Josele Ballester comes into play. Both are from Castellón and know each other well. In fact, last year Josele had been giving her some chipping advice. Carla acknowledged that at the crucial moment, in the decisive shot, her teammate and friend’s advice came to mind: “Yes, in fact, I thought of his advice right on that shot (the third one). I told myself that if there was a shot where you need to ‘release the hands’ to lift it high, as Josele says, it’s this one. So yes, I really value that advice.” Said and done. A good impact left her six metres from the flag. She had a difficult putt, but she also holed it. A crucial par in her aspirations.
Continuing with the Spanish connections and more specifically from Castellón, her city, she also had words for Víctor García, Sergio García’s father, her coach and one of the great mentors from the beginning of the Castellón player’s career: “I am very grateful to him. He helped me a lot with my swing and even off the golf course, he’s always there for whatever I need. I wish he could be here today.”
Regarding her relationship with Sergio, she acknowledges that they don’t have a very close relationship, but logically he is a reference for her, and having his father as a coach makes her know him a bit more.
