Grant and Mehaffey Ready for Second Chance at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Sun Devil Women's Golf's Olivia Mehaffey and Linn Grant are ready for the Augusta National Women's Amateur, beginning tomorrow morning.
The duo will participate for the second time at this prestigious event, originally competing in the inaugural edition back in 2019. A total of 30 players who were a part of the first Augusta National Women's Amateur return in 2021.
Olivia Mehaffey is scheduled to tee-off at 5:40 am MST (8:40 am ET) tomorrow morning, while Linn Grant will begin her round at 9:28 am MST (12:28 pm ET). Live scoring can be found at the following link.
Both Sun Devils were able to complete a practice round today at the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club.
"It was nice playing today kind of knowing where you're going and you can focus more on other things rather than learning the course which is really nice," Olivia Mehaffey observed after the practice round.
Grant and Mehaffey qualified for the event based on their World Amateur Golf Rankings, as both currently sit in the Top-20. A total of 82 competitors will travel to Augusta to try and claim one of most prominent championships in female amateur golf, which boasts one of the most talented fields in the history of the sport at this level.
An incredible 36 of the golfers in the 2021 field are ranked inside the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of March 30, including 21 of the top 25 ranked players in the world. In total, 25 different countries are represented at the 2021 ANWA. Despite the heavy competition from all over the world, the Sun Devils believe in themselves.
"I'm here to try to win and I really want to be in contention for the last day and really give it my best shot," Linn Grant remarked after the practice round.
Taking place the week prior to the 85th Masters Tournament, the international field will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players taking place after 36 holes. A full list of the field can be found here.
The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club on Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 1. The entire field will then play iconic Augusta National Golf Course for an official practice round Friday, April 2.
The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 3 and will feature the competitors who made the cut. NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours (Noon – 3:00 PM ET) of live final-round coverage of the event at Augusta National. Golf Channel will deliver on-site highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event.
In the 2019 version, Olivia Mehaffey put together a fantastic first two rounds, making the cut and eventually finishing tied for 23rd. Linn Grant hadn't yet arrived on campus in Tempe yet, but she still hung with some of the top young golfers. Grant improved her round by seven strokes from the first to second day, giving Sun Devil fans a glimpse of her poise and toughness.
Their previous experience at this event should come in handy, especially being two of only 30 returning competitors.
"We're just walking it today and there were some spots that we said that this was where we wanted to be and this is not where we wanted to be," Grant mentioned after the round. "I feel playing it last time, I know those places a little bit more, but not too much."
"You have that experience and you know what it feels like coming down the stretch and knowing that you're close either way," Mehaffey added. "So definitely having that experience is great, and just like knowing how the week works."
Mehaffey and Grant were joined by three other representatives of Sun Devil Women's Golf in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur. Back in 2019, alum Sofia Anokhina participated along with current Sun Devils Alessandra Fanali, and Amanda Linner. Fanali caught the attention of the golf world after firing an opening round 70, which put her in the Top-5 after the first day. Sofia Anokhina was one of two Sun Devils to make the cut, carding a clutch second-round 70 to earn a spot at Augusta National.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Visit the tournament homepage for the latest information on the Augusta National Women's Amateur. For content throughout the ANWA, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Also follow the ANWA Twitter/Instagram accounts (@ANWAGolf).