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Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Megha Ganne sets record with a 63 to lead Lottie Woad at Augusta Women's Amateur
EVANS, Ga. (AP) — Megha Ganne set the Augusta National Women's Amateur record on Wednesday with a 9-under 63 at Champions Retreat, giving her a two-shot lead over defending champion Lottie Woad, who did her best to track down Ganne. The scoring was lower than usual at Champions Retreat, where the opening two rounds are held before the top 30 who make the cut play the final round at Augusta National, which hosts the Masters next week. Advertisement The weather was warm and turf was still relatively soft, and Ganne took advantage with a bogey-free round. Playing early and starting on the back, the Stanford junior ran off three straight birdies early and saved par with an 18-foot putt on the fifth hole, her 14th of the day. The only disappointment was a three-putt par on the par-5 ninth hole. 'Believe it or not, I had a dream last night that I shot 61,' Ganne said on Golf Channel. 'I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to set bad omens in the air.' And she nearly got there until the three-putt on her final hole, though Ganne had few complaints. Her 63 broke by two shots the mark previous held by Rose Zhang, her former Stanford teammate who won the ANWA two years ago. Advertisement Woad more than held her own despite seeing such a low number on the board before she even made the turn. 'I saw she was at 9 under and thought I needed to get something going,' Woad said. She had four birdies on the back nine, missing out on one chance at the par-5 14th but making up for that with a 45-foot birdie putt on the 15th. No one has won back to back since the ANWA began in 2019 and quickly became one of the premier amateur championships for women. That's largely because the entire field gets a practice round at the home of the Masters on Friday before those who make the cut play Augusta National for the title on Saturday. Advertisement Anna Davis, who won the ANWA three years ago at age 16 and now plays at Auburn, said Ganne setting the tone early probably contributed to the low scoring. For most players, the goal is to make the cut and have a chance to compete at Augusta National. 'Now it's not, 'Want to make the cut.' It's just trying to catch her,' Davis said after a 69. Kiara Romero, Farah O'Keefe and Amanda Sambach were each at 67. They were among 29 players in the 71-player field who broke par. U.S. Women's Amateur champion Rianne Malixi had to withdraw because of a back injury. Ganne is playing the ANWA for the fifth time, having advanced to the final round each of the last two years. She has been around long enough to realize there's still a long road ahead. 'Enjoy today and take the rest of the week as it comes,' Ganne said. 'But today was pretty special.' ___ AP golf:
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This former LPGA winner says she'd need 30 more yards to compete in today's junior ranks
EVANS, Ga. — When Julieta Granada told her student, Sofia Cherif Essakali, she played Augusta National back in 2010, Cherif Essakali informed her coach that she was born in 2009. 'I'm like ouch, OK, I'm old,' said Granada with a laugh. Cherif Essakali, 15, had initially asked her coach to caddie for her at this week's Augusta National Women's Amateur, but 38-year-old Granada is pregnant with her second child and thought that might be too much. Twenty years ago, an 18-year-old Granada turned professional after winning the 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior and AJGA Player of the Year title. The petite Paraguayan went toe-to-toe with the likes of Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lincicome on a regular basis in the junior ranks. They all skipped college and joined the LPGA as teens, with Granada winning the $1 million first-place prize at the season-ending 2006 ADT Championship. How has the junior landscape changed over the course of two decades? 'I think overall just power, right?' said Granada. 'Like these girls come out here and they play a different game. I think when I was a junior, it was more like par was a really good thing, you know, if you're sneaking a few birdies here and there, that was extra, whereas now the game for both juniors, amateurs, collegiate, pro, you know, the girls come out here with a lot more power and a lot more aggressiveness. They are not afraid. They go for everything, and they make a lot more eagles and birdies than we used to make.' To compete now in the junior ranks at the level she did back then, Granada she'd likely need to add another 30 yards to her game. Now retired from the LPGA and serving as director of instruction at the IJGA Academy, Granada has worked with Cherif Essakali for a little more than a year. The Moroccan native has made the cut on home soil in the Ladies European Tour's Lalla Meryem Open for three straight years and is an AJGA winner. 'She's got the it that you can't coach,' said Granada. 'You know, she's very competitive. She's smart. Overall, her game is very complete.'
