by We’re one sleep away from watching golf at Augusta National. If that sentence doesn’t get your heart pumping then you’re in the wrong place. The first two rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur are complete and the top 30 will play the final round at Augusta National on Saturday. Si Woo Kim leads through one round of the Valero Texas Open and there is a six-way tie for the lead at the ANA Inspiration.
At Last
Augusta National Golf Club opened for play in 1933. There have been numerous historic moments over those 86 years but none have involved a women’s tournament. Saturday, April 6th, 2019 will change that as 30 women tee it up for the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
It’s a shame it has taken this long for a women’s event to take place at Augusta National, plain and simple. Still, Saturday is going to be a day of celebration and hopefully it leads to bigger women’s events at ANGC. With that, let’s take a look at the women on the Saturday tee sheet. ANWA Leaderboard
Jennifer Kupcho (1st) – The leader through two rounds also happens to be the #1 ranked women’s amateur in the world. Kupcho hails from Colorado and is a senior at Wake Forest. She opened the event with a bogey-free 68 on Wednesday and followed it up with a 71 on Thursday to take a one shot lead. A Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup team member, Kupcho is the favorite heading into Saturday’s action. She appeared on the Silver Club Podcast this week.
Maria Fusso (2nd) – Fusso has started the event with back-to-back rounds of 70 at Champions Retreat. A native of Mexico, Fusso has set many team records during her tenure at the University of Arkansas. The reigning SEC player of the year will turn pro after her spring semester.
Pimnipa Panthong (T-3) – Where are all our MAC fans? Panthong is a junior at Kent State and has already had a phenomenal career. She won four times last season and finished in the top 15 at the NCAAs. She made ten birdies over the first two rounds and sits just two shots back of the lead.
Yuka Yasuda (6th) – Yasuda enters the weekend four shots behind Kupcho after rounds of 71-70. The 18 year old has been playing on the LPGA Tour of Japan and had three top 10 finishes last season. She also finished in the top five at the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship last season.
Zoe Campos (7th) – At just 16 years old, Campos made some serious noise on Wednesday. The teenager jumped out to the first round lead with a 68. She fell back with a second round 75 but is still within shouting distance of the leaders. She still has some high school to finish up but will be attending UCLA after graduation.
Haley Moore (T-8) – The senior at Arizona gained instant fame with her NCAA Championship clinching putt last May. She has already won a professional event in her career and has a promising future ahead. For more on Haley, we highly recommend Ryan Lavner’s article.
There was an 11-for-10 playoff for the final spots on Thursday. Nine women made pars on the opening hole and then Ainhoa Olarra claimed the final spot on the second extra hole. Olarra is a friend of the late Celia Barquin Arozamena, the Iowa State player who was tragically murdered last year.
Si Woo Kim jumped out to the first round lead at the Valero Texas Open on Thursday. The 23 year old made eight birdies over his opening round and holds a one shot lead going into the weekend. Kim is already exempt into the Masters but many guys behind him are still looking for the last minute invite. J.T. Poston, Abraham Ancer, Brian Stuard, and Jhonattan Vegas are all tied for second and attempting to move on to Augusta next week. Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are both tied for sixth, two shots off the lead. Valero Texas Open Leaderboard
Quick Hooks
Ally McDonald holds the first round lead at the ANA Inspiration after firing 68 on Thursday. Lexi Thompson (69), Jin Young Ko (69), Lydia Ko (70), and Jessica Korda (70) are amongst the notables chasing the lead. ANA Inspiration Leaderboard
Green with envy
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