Pauline Roussin-Bouchard birdied four of her first seven holes en route to a par 70 2 below in the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The sophomore at the University of South Carolina lost his ticket to the tournament playoff by a stroke.
“Overall, it’s a very, very good day,” said the 20-year-old. “It is not every day that you can play below average at Augusta National, so I am satisfied with today.”
The native of Carqueiranne, France, birdied No. 11 to advance slowly towards the leadership of the tournament, but consecutive bogeys in numbers 12 and 13 proved to be expensive.
“I lost points where I could, you know, have done a little better, but we can always do better, right?” Roussin-Bouchard said. “But yes, in general, a very, very good round.”
Ana Peláez Triviño, a former head of the University of South Carolina, carded a one-under par 71 on Saturday to finish 12th with a 5 over.
“I was extremely nervous at hole 1, but I told myself while doing the warm-up to go and enjoy every sensation: the pressure, the nerves, everything,” said Triviño. “Just the magic of being here.”
Triviño was 2 down in the first five holes before hitting with a three in the ninth. The 23-year-old got it right in the second nine, which included a birdie in No. 15. But when asked about the hole, Triviño did not start with her own game.
“I was jealous of a turtle at number 15 that I saw (on the lake shore),” said Triviño. “I was like, ‘This turtle can stay here and I can only play it once.’ We will.”
As for the overall experience, Triviño said that the highlight of the tournament was the presence of his father.
“I am the player and I am the one who practices and everyone says I deserve to be here, but without my family, all the time, all the races, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I deserve it, but he did half my job.”
Caterina Don leads Georgia contingent
Caterina Don stopped in front of her opening shot for number 1 and thought to herself, “It doesn’t change.”
The University of Georgia standout competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019, but quickly learned on Saturday that nerves don’t go away a second time.
“You know, your hands are still shaking on the first shot and when you hit that shot, you’re really happy to be there,” said Don.
Don hit a 77 during the final round and compiled a total of 11 over three days. She finished 26th out of 30 players who made the cut.
The highlight of his round, outside of Don’s lone birdie in the eighth par-5, was a 25-foot putt pair in the final hole.
“I hit a bad drive in the forest and I didn’t hit a very good number, and I ended up at the top level,” said Don. “My back was towards the hole and I had an incredible shot. It is a very good way to end this week. “
Don was one of three UGA players to compete this week, alongside Isabella Holpfer and Candice Mahe, but Don was the only Bulldog to make the list.
When asked how to feel local support on Saturday, Don said: “Many people said, ‘Go Dawgs,’ today and it is unusual for us and for women’s golf. I loved.”