Redding Advances to Final Round of Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Evans, Ga. – It took a one-hole playoff, but Virginia senior Anna Redding (Concord, N.C.) is one of 30 competitors to advance to the final round of play at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur championship.
Redding finished her second round at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Ga., tied for 21st place with 10 other players. That forced a playoff where 10 of the 11 golfers made the cut to comprise the 30-player field for the final round.
“I’m so happy I advanced,” Redding said. “I am going to be one of 30 girls competing on Augusta National for the first time in history. It is such an incredibly special week.”
Redding was one of nine golfers to par the first playoff hole and advance after two other players made bogey and had to decide the final opening in the finals with a second playoff hole.
“I’ve been in quite a few playoffs and I felt comfortable just playing my game,” Redding said. “I was pretty amped up and crushed a drive on the playoff hole and only had 127 yards left. I hit it to about seven feet of the cup, then blew it by the hole on my first putt. I made the two-foot comeback putt and it felt so great to know I was going to advance.”
Redding had an up-and-down day on the course. She started her round with back-to-back bogies, finishing her front nine at 3-over par. She picked up a birdie on the par-3, 11th hole but then posted a double-bogey on the par-5, 14th hole to put her four-over for the tournament.
Teetering on the cut line, Redding needed a birdie down the stretch and got it on the par-5, 18th hole. She used a short chip shot and five-foot putt to finish her round at 3-over par for the tournament. Her second-round score was 2-over 74.
“The birdie on 18 was everything,” Redding said. “I knew I needed to get one back going into 18. I hit the best drive of the day there and hit a great 5 iron just short of the green and then pitched it up there to about 5 feet and made it. I was very thankful to make that be a part of the playoff.”
Wake Forest’s Jennifer Kupcho, the reigning NCAA champion, retained her lead at the top of the leaderboard. She finished the first two rounds at 5-under 139. Arkansas senior Maria Fassi is in second place at 4-under 140.
Redding, and the entire field of 72 golfers, will play a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club on Friday. Live coverage of Saturday’s final round will air on NBC from noon to 3 p.m.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur is the first women’s event hosted at Augusta National Golf Club.
The tournament winner will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women’s Amateurs, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2019 Women’s British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships.
For more information on the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, visit its website at https://www.anwagolf.com.