Trojans Take On Augusta National Women's Amateur

Junior Amari Avery and incoming freshman Bailey Shoemaker are making their return to one of the most famed courses in golf as USC will feature multiple golfers for the fourth time in a row at the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur, Wednesday through Saturday (March 29-April 1), in Georgia.

This will be Avery's third appearance after playing in it the last two years while Shoemaker is making her second straight appearance.

Aver tied for fourth at the 2022 event as a freshman at 1-over (73-72-72), just two out of first. It was USC's highest finish among the four years the event has been played and topped current second-year LPGA pro Allisen Corpuz's tie for 13th in 2021. Shoemaker did not make the cut in her debut.

Avery currently leads USC in stroke average (71.93) and boasts a team-best seven rounds in the 60s this season, giving her 17 career rounds in the 60s. That total is fourth on USC's career chart, five off the school record. She has one win this season among three top 7 finishes, six top 14s and seven top 23 results. Her four career wins in less than two full seasons is tied for fifth on USC's career chart.

Beginning the week prior to the 87th Masters Tournament, the Trojan duo will tee off with an international field made up of 72 golfers that will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players taking place after two rounds.

The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club on March 29-30. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round on March 31. The final round will take place at Augusta National on April 1 and will feature the competitors who made the cut.

A complete list of the field (and the landing spot for results) is at ANWA.com.  Golf Channel will broadcast coverage from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday (March 29-30) and NBC will broadcast three hours of live final-round coverage 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT on April 1.

The winner of the event will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women's Amateurs (provided she remain an amateur), the 2023 U.S. Women's Open, the 2023 Women's British Open, the Chevron Championship, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.

In 2022, former Trojan Katherine Muzi joined Avery in the event. Muzi did not make the cut.

In 2021, USC featured six players in the field, including current senior Malia Nam and junior Brianna Navarrosa. That does not count Avery, who had yet to sign with the Trojans.

Corpuz led the Trojan contingent with a tie for 13th at 6-over 222 (74-74-74) while former Trojan Alexa Melton also made the final round cut. Nam and Navarrosa were joined by Alyaa Abdulghany and Amelia Garvey to round out USC's six, though they did not make the cut.

Corpuz and Abdulghany both played in the inaugural event (along with former Trojan Jennifer Chang) in 2019 while Corpuz, Garvey, Melton, Navarrosa and Nam were set to play in the 2020 event before its cancellation due to Covid.

In 2019, Corpuz made the 36-hole cut at 3-over 147 (75-72) and ultimately tied for 17th at 3-over 219 (75-72-72).