30 March 2021: Stories and experiences abound at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. That happens when an elite field of 82 women from 25 different countries converge to play in a championship that has quickly captured the attention of golf aficionados everywhere.
Take Abbey Carlson, for example. The 22-year-old Vanderbilt graduate hasn’t played in a competitive event in over a year, holds a full-time job at Boeing as a stress analyst on the space launch system and only just started practicing for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in January, after taking six months off at the end of 2020.
“I know it’s been a lot longer since I’ve competed than anyone else in the field,” Carlson said Monday at Champions Retreat Golf Club.
“I’m just thrilled to be here. My expectations are to come in and enjoy every moment that I can. Getting the opportunity to play this incredible event on two amazing venues, it’s an honor.”
Carlson was a first-team All-SEC selection for the Commodores, but once COVID forced an early conclusion to the end of her senior year, she knew that it was time to turn to her other passion. Having earned her pilots license in 2016, she was ready to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and already had accepted the position with Boeing in Huntsville, Alabama.
The new gig has turned out well for Carlson and she loves what she does. Even after more than eight months on the job, she says, “It’s still crazy to think that some of the parts I’m working on are going to end up in space.”
For now, though, Carlson is focused on this week, even if she had to take personal time off from work in order to compete.
“I feel like I’m almost bouncing between worlds here,” she said. “I stepped away from the golf world almost completely. So, coming back into it, I’m like, ‘let’s have fun, that’s what we’re here to do.’”
Ingrid Lindblad is happy to be here, but she also wants to win.
The 20-year-old Swede is a sophomore at Louisiana State University (LSU), is ranked No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in all four college events she’s played for the Tigers this spring. She closed out 2020 with a 30th-place tie at the U.S. Women’s Open and won her latest event only two weeks ago, the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
Lindblad did not play in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur two years ago and knows that she needs to be diligent in her practice preparation Tuesday at Champions Retreat, the first time she’ll see the entire course.
“But I feel like if you’ve seen the course at least once before you have a good feeling for how it’s going to play,” Lindblad said.
A Swedish friend who has played Augusta National several times in the past shared notes with Lindblad and some of her fellow countrywomen. But they all know that if they don’t play well across 36 holes at Champions Retreat, they won’t get the chance to compete in the final round.
“I really want to play that last round at Augusta,” she said.
Like Carlson, Candice Mahe hasn’t played much in the past year either, partly because of the global COVID pandemic and partly because of injury.
The 20-year-old from France is a sophomore at the University of Georgia and has been fortunate to make the two-hour trek from Athens to play Champions Retreat on two different occasions in the past.
“The course is just amazing, and I’m excited to see it during a tournament,” she said. “I’m going to try to stay patient as much as I can and enjoy every moment.”
Mahe played in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, hosted by the University of Georgia, in 2020 and didn’t play again until the Gamecock Intercollegiate earlier this month. She followed that with another appearance at the Liz Murphey last week, but ended with results that were not to her pleasure.
For Mahe, this week is about continuing to shake off the competitive rust – although she says she’s spent hours and hours on the practice range over the past week – and enjoying the fact that she’s able to play in the championship.
“I’m trying to take it step by step,” Mahe said. “First you have to make the cut, then after that, you think about Augusta.
“But we’re all really lucky to be here, especially during this crazy time.”
The Hou sisters have both returned to play in their second Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The first time was such a great experience, but both 21-year-old Yu-Sang and 20-year-old Yu-Chiang missed a chance to join the playoff to compete for a position in the final round at Augusta National by only one stroke.
“We definitely learned a lot,” Yu-Chiang said. “I’m super excited. We are here competing again with all the great players from all around the world. It’s such a huge event.”
Yu-Chiang is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and is ranked No. 7 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Yu-Sang joins her sister as a senior at Arizona and is ranked No. 27. They both played for the Wildcats in an event that ended late Sunday evening and caught the first flight from Phoenix early Monday morning, before getting in some practice later that day at Champions Retreat.
Everyone wants to know if there’s a sibling rivalry amongst the sisters and both are quick to point out that there absolutely is not. They learn from each other, push each other and are always there to support each other, no matter the outcome.
“We always wish we can both play good,” Yu-Chiang said.
Jay Coffin – Augusta National Women’s Amateur Content
