[ad_1]
Tiger Woods isn’t the only one making headlines at Augusta National this week.
High school sophomore Anna Davis, 16, defeated the odds and won her first Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday.
The lefty-swinging, bucket hat-clad Davis pushed ahead of then-frontrunner Latanna Stone with a closing round 69.
Davis, a left-hander from right outside of San Diego, made waves after winning the Heather Farr Classic on the AJGA circuit and the Girl’s Junior PGA Championship, which allowed her to qualify for this event. In addition, Davis was a member of the Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Solheim Cup teams.
Stone, a junior on LSU’s golf team, had a two-shot lead before she double bogeyed 17 and bogeyed 18 to miss a playoff with Davis by one shot.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Stone said. “I was trying to be aggressive and just kind of lost it. I was coming in at 3-under, and it’s just kinda heartbreaking to go double and then bogey on the last two holes.”
Stone’s collapse in the final two holes left Davis as the only competitor to break with par with a 1-under total. Davis’ win marked the second year in a row that a competitor lost a large lead at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Davis, who cannot speak to college recruiters until her sophomore year concludes, was in awe of her performance. In speaking to reporters, she discussed her “have fun” mentality since the odds were heavily stacked against her in comparison to her 29 competitors, almost all of whom were older and more experienced.
“I’m still a little shocked,” Davis said. “I literally … I’m speechless. I can’t even fathom what just happened.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of that many people. I wasn’t as nervous. I knew I was an underdog in the field. I didn’t have as much pressure on me to do extremely well. I was just out there having fun.”
Davis received a shoutout from golf legend Tiger Woods, who is still up in the air whether he will compete in the Masters this week.
“I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete. Congratulations to 16-year-old Anna Davis on an amazing win at the @anwagolf and good luck to all the kids in the @DriveChipPutt,” Woods tweeted.
Davis’ win gets her a spot in the US Women’s Open.
[ad_2]