Written by: Ryanne Haddow, Director of Women’s Golf
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur, a tradition started in 2019 is held every year the week before the Masters. Each year, 72 players make up one of the most talented fields you can find in Women’s Amateur competition. This year, I had the distinct honor to be invited to referee at the championship held at Champions Retreat Golf Club and Augusta National Golf Club.
I drove up to Augusta a couple days before the first round and stayed in cottages at the Champions Retreat Golf Club, which hosted rounds one and two of the tournament. Leading up to the opening round, we received our assignments and walked the golf course to prepare for any potential ruling scenarios that may come up throughout the competition.
During rounds one and two at Champions Retreat Golf Club each of us were assigned as a referee to zones throughout the course. For me, I was covering holes 10, 11, and 17 the first round, and holes 2 and 9 the second round. As a referee of a zone, you are stationed in an area where you can navigate to your specific holes when/if needed. During the round, you are helping monitor pace of play and assisting with any rulings or questions from the players.
To say these players are talented would be an understatement. Most players do not need much help from the referees; however, there were a few rulings during the first two rounds at Champions Retreat.
One such ruling that I gave came during the second round on hole number 2. A player hit her tee shot right and found a red penalty area. Close to the red penalty area ran a cart path all the way down the right side of the hole. The player seems unsure how to proceed as her drop from the penalty area would put her close to the cart path as well. Once she called me over we first established where her ball crossed the red penalty area. Going through all her penalty options, the player elected to take her two club lengths, no closer to the hole. Once she dropped and satisfied her penalty relief she asked if she could take relief from the cart path. I informed her she could as there was interference for her stance. Before lifting her ball, we determined where her nearest point of relief would be and once she was comfortable with this she lifted her ball and dropped in her relief area. I had the player check to see if she was completely off the cart path, which she was not. Since she is required to take complete relief, she had to drop again this time achieving her full relief from the obstruction and she could continue play.
After the second round, the field was cut to the low 30 players and ties. 32 players in total made the cut this year. The day following the second round was a practice round day and all players, even those missing the cut, had the opportunity to play Augusta National Golf Club.
The Referees had a rules meeting at Augusta National Golf Club to cover any nuances for the final round. I was assigned to holes 10 and 18 at the point in each fairway. Myself and the other referees had several hours to tour the course before being transported back to our cottages. This was my very first time on property at Augusta National Golf Club, and having the opportunity to walk the course alongside new friends in the golf community while the ladies were playing their practice rounds was a unique and special experience, one I will remember for a lifetime.
On Saturday, when the gates opened for the final round, the course quickly filled with patrons eager to support the 32 women. It did not take long for roars to erupt after great shots.
While I did not have any rulings on the final round, watching each group come through my holes, I could feel the tournament building around me. I could pinpoint each roar that erupted through the course and knew that coming down the stretch the closing holes would be pivotal.
After the last pairing group completed 18, and we knew a playoff would not be needed, all the referees came together and joined in the awards ceremony. If I was to describe the entire experience, I would say that each moment experienced by the players, the referees, and the patrons, was intentional, meticulous, and thoughtful. All involved in organizing the Augusta National Women’s Amateur truly left no stone unturned when it came to providing an unforgettable experience.
For those who have not yet tuned into the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, I would mark your calendars for next year. You are sure to see some of the most spectacular rounds of golf all year. It seems like each year at the ANWA, there is an exciting finish and the championship comes down to the final holes. This year was no exception. Carla Bernat Escuder put together rounds of 68-68-68 for a 12-under par total and one shot victory over Asterisk Talley.
