W. Golf: Heath, Williamson And Woad To Play in Augusta National Women’s Amateur

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The drive down Magnolia Lane on the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership is sufficient to go away one speechless.  The chance to play even a single spherical on Augusta’s famed greens and fairways is a mere dream for many golfers. 

For Florida State’s Charlotte Heath, Amelia Williamson and Lottie Woad, they could be unable to talk if simply momentarily, and their wildest golf desires will come true as they play within the fifth Annual Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner starting Wednesday.  The three Seminoles are among the many world’s prime newbie gamers within the extremely proficient group of 72 who will vie to have their title etched on the champions silver trophy. 

The primary 36 holes of the ANWA will likely be contested over two days at Champions Retreat Golf Membership (March 29-30).  Following the 36-hole reduce, the ultimate aggressive spherical will happen at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership on April 1.

“Taking part in at Augusta is sort of a Seminole soccer participant working out of the tunnel at Doak Campbell Stadium, or a significant league baseball participant strolling as much as bat at Wrigley Discipline,” stated Seminole assistant coach Robert Duck, who will caddy for Florida State’s Heath.  “Strolling the place so lots of the greats of the sport have walked is particular for any athlete.  Watching a younger girl obtain a particular second of their improvement is gratifying for any coach, having the ability to caddy and be a part of that second is much more particular.”

Florida State’s nationally ranked program has been represented in every of the primary 4 ANWA’s with a program-record three Seminoles enjoying this 12 months.  All-American Beatrice Wallin (2019, 2021, 2022) is the one participant within the event’s historical past to earn three top-10 finishes (tied for fourth in 2022; tied for seventh in 2019, and tied for tenth in 2021) whereas All-American Amanda Doherty completed tied for 21^st in her solely look in 2019. 

It has been the best of pleasures throughout her teaching profession for Seminole Head Coach Amy Bond to look at her gamers compete within the ANWA.  

“For girls’s golf, the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner is among the finest weeks of the 12 months,” stated Bond, the winningest coach in Florida State historical past.  “The ladies have the chance to indicate off their abilities on Nationwide TV, and to play the long-lasting course at Augusta Nationwide. This 12 months we have now three Seminoles who obtained invites. I’m so excited to get the prospect to look at them.”

Bond has constructed one of many nation’s strongest applications at Florida State.  Within the final three seasons, her Seminoles have been ranked No. 1 within the nation, received two NCAA Regional Championships, achieved one of the best NCAA end at school historical past, received eight event championships, had 4 totally different gamers named All-American honors and three earn All-ACC honors.

The Seminoles are one in every of simply six colleges nationally — and are joined by Stanford, Duke, LSU, Ole Miss and Wake Forest — with three or extra golfers enjoying at Augusta this week. 

For Bond, this week is in regards to the alternative and unimaginable experiences her golfers have earned. 

“It’s such a particular expertise and one thing that many people would flip again the clock to have this chance.”

All three of Florida State’s individuals within the ANWA are ranked among the many prime 52 ladies within the World Beginner Golf Rankings coming into the championship – Heath at No. 19, Woad at No. 24, and Williamson at No. 52.  Amongst faculty golfers, Heath is ranked No. 7, Woad is No. 9 and Williamson is No. 121.  The Seminoles are the one crew within the nation with two golfers ranked within the prime 10 of the collegiate rankings by Golfstat. 

Woad arrives at Augusta contemporary from her second profession collegiate victory on the Florida State Match Up on the Seminoles Legends Golf Course.  She carded a 4 below par rating of 212 within the profitable the Match Up on her faculty course and has earned two particular person championship and 7 prime 10 finishes within the first eight occasions of her Florida State profession.

“I really feel actually good,” stated Woad simply earlier than making the five-hour drive from Tallahassee to Augusta on Sunday.  “It was good to get a win (on the Florida State Match Up) and I hope to make use of the momentum from that going ahead to hold on what I’m doing, and to see if I can play properly once more.”

Every of the Seminoles enjoying at Augusta this week had the chance to play the Champions Retreat previous to the Seminoles’ participation within the Valspar Augusta Invitational earlier this month. 

“I feel Champions’ Retreat is a fairly powerful course,” stated Woad.  “It’s very lengthy, so maybe I’ll use some lengthy irons, possibly some hybrids.  The greens are fairly massive, and they will be fairly fast.  My caddie is our England Ladies’s Coach.  He is aware of the course and has data, so he’s going to assist me rather a lot.” 

Heath begins play on Wednesday following a pair of prime three particular person finishes on the Valspar (second place, -7, 137) and the Florida State Match Up (tied for third, -1, 215). She is a complete of 12 strokes below par in 4 tournaments this spring, and is a cumulative whole of 27 strokes below par in eight begins this 12 months. 

Heath’s profession low rating for a single spherical (65) and her finest 36-hole whole (137) got here on the close by Forest Hills Golf Course throughout the 20221 Valspar.

“I feel my sport is in a superb place, and I’m excited to see the way it holds up in opposition to everybody else,” stated Heath.  “Once we performed Champions Retreat a few weeks in the past, it performed fairly totally different to what I feel it will play this week.  I feel it can play agency.  We had an area caddie after we performed the course earlier than the Valspar, and he gave us numerous inside data from him.”

Heath can be excited to play together with her teammates, together with her head coach in her gallery, and one in every of her assistant coaches on her bag.

“It’s actually thrilling to have each Amelia and Lottie enjoying within the ANWA,” stated Heath.  “I’m going to have Coach Bond and Coach Duck there as properly.  Coach Duck goes to caddy for me.  He went to Augusta College, so he’s been across the observe rather a lot; he’s is aware of the reads, and the greens, in order that was a fairly simple determination.”

Williamson, the primary ever fifth-year participant to compete for Bond at Florida State, brings an unimaginable quantity of expertise to her first profession ANWA.  She has performed in 41 profession occasions (120 rounds) as a Seminole with 9 top-10 finishes together with putting fifth on the Florida State Match Up in her final outing.  Williamson is ranked ninth at school historical past with a 73.63 profession stroke common. 

“I’m tremendous grateful for the chance to play within the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner,” stated Williamson.  “I actually know that with out this fifth 12 months, and such a superb senior 12 months at FSU, and having the assist of the coaches, that this chance wouldn’t have come round.  I’m wanting ahead to having the ability to see my mother and father, and am excited for them to see me strolling down the fairways.  They’ve by no means truly seen me play a lot over right here in america, particularly not with my FSU garments on.  I’m tremendous excited to have them by my aspect.”

Not solely will her mother and father be at her aspect, however her dad will likely be her caddy.

“My dad is caddying for me,” stated Williamson.   “It was a tough selection in respect to selecting between my mother and my dad.  I spent weeks pondering over it, however ultimately I selected my dad as a result of your caddy has to hold the golf equipment and my mother has by no means actually completed that earlier than.”

5 English gamers will compete within the ANWA, together with reigning Ladies’s British Beginner champion Jess Baker, Caley McGinty and Florida State’s trio of teammates. 

“The Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner has rapidly risen to the top of ladies’s newbie golf,” stated Golfweek Senior Author Beth Ann Nichols.  “Past the goose bump moments that make it unforgettable for gamers and their households, the extent of publicity the winner receives is major-like in its depth.

“To have three gamers on this elite subject of 72 speaks volumes in regards to the depth of Florida State golf.”

Watching The 2023 Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner

• First spherical at Champions Retreat: Broadcast reside on Golf Channel from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 29.
• Second spherical at Champions Retreat: Broadcast reside on Golf Channel from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 30.
• Ultimate spherical at Augusta Nationwide: Broadcast reside on NBC from midday – 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 1.
• Golf Channel’s “Stay From the Masters” will start on Friday, March 31, from Augusta Nationwide and wrap ANWA protection on Saturday, April 1.
• NBC’s protection of the Ultimate Spherical may also be simulcast on com.
• The Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner Presentation Ceremony may also be streamed reside, Saturday, April 1, on the aforementioned digital platforms.