Strong field set for 2021 Augusta National Women's Amateur

The field for the second Augusta National Women's Amateur is just as strong as the inaugural event in 2019.

Nine of the world's top 10 amateur golfers will be among the 72 players who will compete in the second Augusta National Women's Amateur March 31-April 3.

Rose Zhang, the world's top-ranked women's amateur player, returns to Augusta. The 17-year old senior at Pacific Academy Irvine, who won the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur, finished tied for 17th at the 2019 ANWA.

This year's tournament will be played Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 1 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans and the final round Saturday, April 3 at the Augusta National Golf Course.

The club announced the field Monday in a news release.

“On behalf of the membership at Augusta National, it is my distinct honor and privilege to welcome these talented competitors to the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” said Fred S. Ridley, Augusta National chairman. “While the wait for the return of this championship has been longer than expected, the excitement generated by the sportsmanship and competitive spirit showcased in the inaugural edition still resonates with us today. We look forward to hosting this elite field this spring and showcasing the future of the women’s game.”

Three of the top 10 finishers from the 2019 ANWA also accepted invitations for April.

Zoe Campos, an 18-year-old high school senior from Valencia, Calif. and Kaitlyn Papp, a senior at the University of Texas, are the highest returning finishers. Both tied for fifth in 2019.

Papp had a top-10 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open in December and says the returning players who made the cut in 2019 have an advantage.

“I think the biggest advantage is already playing both of those courses multiple times so I kind of know what to expect and what to work on leading up to the tournament,” Papp told Golfweek recently. “Just knowing that really it’s a pretty big cut before the final round so you just have to try to play steady golf and just not make too many mistakes out there so you keep yourself in contention and are playing Augusta in the final round.”

University of South Carolina sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard raked in the hardware as a freshman, earning All-Southeastern Conference, Golfweek All-American and SEC All-Freshman team honors. She's currently ranked as the No. 4 women's amateur golfer in the world by Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com and will make her Augusta debut.

Stanford freshman Rachel Heck will also be making her Augusta debut. The Memphis, Tenn. native was the low medalist in the stroke play portion of the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur. She chose to forego the inaugural event in favor of the LPGA ANA Inspiration tournament, but crossed her fingers that this possibility would once again present itself.

“Honestly, I’m just looking forward to walking the fairways I’ve watched on TV since I was little," she told The Chronicle in January. "I’m nervous, but excited, and I just want to take in every moment. Not many people get an opportunity to play Augusta, especially in a competitive atmosphere.”

The inaugural women's amateur was won by Wake Forest senior Jennifer Kupcho, who pulled away from playing partner and runner-up Maria Fassi on the second nine in the final round at Augusta National. Kupcho’s five-under-par 67 – the lowest round of the tournament – in the final round led to a four-stroke victory at 10-under-par 206.

“Watching Jennifer and Maria go down the stretch was special and it was such a great week for women’s golf," Heck said.

Both women turned professional after the tournament.

Coming in as the No. 1-ranked women's amateur, Kupcho hit the first tee shot in the tournament history in Wednesday’s opening round at Champions Retreat Golf Club.

“I think, first of all, for me to hit the first tee shot of the tournament, just to open it up, it was a great honor to be able to do that. And then to be able to hit the last putt and to win, it’s just amazing,” said Kupcho after her win.

The final round will be broadcast on NBC Sports from noon to 3 p.m. on April 3.

2021 ANWA field

Alyaa Abdulghany, Johor Bahru, Malaysia (9)
Ty Akabane, Honolulu, Hawaii (8)
Hanna Alberto, Kingwood, Texas (8)
Ho-Yu An, Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei (9)
Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. (11)
Addie Baggarly, Jonesborough, Tenn. (8)
Jaravee Boonchant, Bangkok, Thailand (9)
Zoe Campos, West Hills, Calif. (11)
Abbey Carlson, Lake Mary, Fla. (8)
Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas (11)
Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii (8)
Caterina Don, Turin, Italy (9)
Sadie Englemann, Austin, Texas (8)
Isabella Fierro, Merida, Mexico (11)
Karen Fredgaard, Asserbo, Denmark (11)
Annabell Fuller, London, England (11)
Megha Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. (8)
Sofia Garcia, Asuncion, Paraguay (11)
Amelia Garvey, Christchurch, New Zealand (9)
Ashley Gilliam, Manchester, Tenn. (8)
Linn Grant, Viken, Sweden (9)
Lauren Hartlage, Elizabethtown, Ky. (8)
Rachel Heck, Memphis, Tenn. (8)
Paris Hilinski, Los Angeles, Calif. (11)
Isabella Holpfer, Vienna, Austria (11)
Yu-Chiang Hou, Taipei, Chinese Taipei (9)
Yu-Sang Hou, Taipei, Chinese Taipei (9)
Lily May Humphreys, Chelmsford, England (9)
Julia Johnson, St. Gabriel, La. (8)
Tsubasa Kajitani, Okayama, Japan (9)
Gurleen Kaur, Houston, Texas (8)
Auston Kim, St. Augustine, Fla. (8)
Gina Kim, Albuquerque, N.M. (8)
Grace Kim, Sydney, Australia (11)
Paula Kirner, Lorsch, Germany (11)
Aline Krauter, Stuttgart, Germany (2)
Rachel Kuehn, Asheville, N.C. (8)
Agathe Laisne, Paris, France (9)
Ingrid Lindblad, Halmstad, Sweden (9)
Siyun Liu, Shanghai, China (9)
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Madrid, Spain (9)
Clarisse Louis, Brussels, Belgium (11)
Candice Mahe, Gourin, France (11)
Lucie Malchirand, Carnoux, France (9)
Brooke Matthews, Rogers, Ark. (8)
Julie McCarthy, Dublin, Ireland (11)
Olivia Mehaffey, Banbridge, Northern Ireland (9)
Alexa Melton, Covina, Calif. (11)
Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, N.C. (8)
Kaitlin Milligan, Norman, Okla. (11)
Michaela Morard, Hunstville, Ala. (8)
Benedetta Moresco, Vicenza, Italy (9)
Malia Nam, Kailua, Hawaii (8)
Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego, Calif. (8)
Alessia Nobilio, Milan, Italy (9)
Tristyn Nowlin, Richmond, Ky. (11)
Emilie Paltrinieri, Milan, Italy (9)
Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla. (8)
Pimnipa Panthong, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand (9)
Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas (8)
Ana Peláez Triviño, Malaga, Spain (9)
Kiira Riihijarvi, Oulu, Finland (9)
Brooke Riley, Manteca, Calif. (11)
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Carqueiranne, France (9)
Amanda Sambach, Davidson, N.C. (8)
Megan Schofill, Monticello, Fla. (8)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, St. Leon-Rot, Germany (9)
Aneka Seumanutafa, Emmitsburg, Md. (8)
Erica Shepherd, Greenwood, Ind. (11)
Ellie Slama, Salem, Ore. (8)
Katherine Smith, Detroit Lakes, Minn. (8)
Emma Spitz, Vienna, Austria (9)
Maja Stark, Skivarp, Sweden (9)
Kennedy Swann, Austin, Texas (8)
Kaleigh Telfer, Johannesburg, South Africa (11)
Brigitte Thibault, Montreal, Canada (11)
Emily Toy, Carlyon Bay, England (11)
Nanako Ueno, Hirakata, Japan (9)
Beatrice Wallin, Gothenburg, Sweden (9)
Isobel Wardle, Alderley Edge, England (11)
Kenzie Wright, McKinney, Texas (8)
Lei Ye, Shanghai, China (5)
Anna Zanusso, Castelfranco Veneto, Italy (11)
Agustina Zeballos, Buenos Aires, Argentina (11)
Rose Zhang, Irvine, Calif. (1)

Qualifications for 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
1. Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion
2. Reigning Ladies’ British Open Amateur Champion
3. Reigning Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion
4. Reigning Girls’ British Open Amateur Champion
5. Reigning U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion
6. Reigning Girls Junior PGA Champion
7. Past champions of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur within the last five years
8. The 30 highest ranked players from the United States of America based on the prior year's (2020)
final Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking, not otherwise qualified
9. After qualifications 1-8 above, the 30 highest ranked players not otherwise qualified, as listed on the prior year's (2020) final Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking
10. Players receiving special invitations of the Augusta National Women's Amateur Committee
11. After qualifications 1-10 above, players that accepted invitations to the 2020 Augusta National Women's Amateur, not otherwise qualified