There were no balloons attached to the mailbox. No streamers or confetti. And no one was standing nearby to present one of those oversized checks.
But it felt like a Publishers Clearing House moment last month when Jenny Bae went to get the mail and found a letter from Augusta National mixed in with the bills and pizza coupons. It was a definite “you have already won” moment.
The envelope contained the long-awaited invitation to compete in the third annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which begins Wednesday. Bae said hello to one of the best days of her life.
“I had completely mixed feelings,” Bae said. “When I first looked at it, I was like – for a second – ‘Why is this in my mail?’ And then I opened it and I saw the invitation with my name on it, and I wanted to cry. But also I was jumping up and down. I was like, ‘Yeah, I finally made it.’ This has been my goal since my freshman year, and I made it. I was just overjoyed.”
Bae, a Lawrenceville native and a senior at the University of Georgia, and Ivy Shepherd, of Peachtree City and a junior at Clemson, are the only Georgians who will compete in what quickly has become the glamour tournament for women’s amateur golf. The ANWA, like the Masters, is an exclusive event with only 72 players who are invited based on their accomplishments. Bae got in based on ranking No. 13 among U.S. players in the final 2021 World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“Compared to some of the other players, I haven't really played many major championships, so this is a big step. It's a big deal to me, my university and to the state of Georgia. It's a great honor."
The tournament begins Wednesday with two qualifying rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club, where the field will be pared to 30. The full field will play a practice round Friday, and those who made the cut will finish the tournament Saturday. The final round will be broadcast from noon to 3 p.m. on NBC.
“For me, personally, it’s a big deal,” Bae said. “Compared to some of the other players, I haven’t really played many major championships, so this is a big step. It’s a big deal to me, my university and to the state of Georgia. It’s a great honor.”
The University of Georgia has been represented in the ANWA each year. Caterina Don played in the first two events, and Isabella Holpfer and Candice Mahe joined her last year. Bae talked to all three about their experience, and Don joined her on a practice round at Champions.
Upon receiving her invitation, Bae’s first call was to her personal coach Jun Yum, who works out of Bill Baraban’s Academy ForeGolf in Suwanee. Bae has worked with Yum for more than seven years and said, “I believe the reason I’ve come this far is because of him. He’s been with me through all the ups and downs, and I felt he deserved to be the first to know.”
Yum will be with his student during the week. Bae also will be joined by parents Peter and Hannah Bae and University of Georgia women’s coach Josh Brewer, who will serve as caddie.
“My one key thing is to have fun and make as many great experiences and memories as I possibly can,” Bae said. “And in the back of my mind, when I’m playing the tournament, I’m striving to win, to make the cut and play for one of the final tee times at Augusta National on Saturday.”
The ANWA field features 2021 runner-up Emily Migliaccio, ranked No. 12, from Wake Forest; Stanford teammates No. 1 Rose Zhang and No. 4 Rachel Heck; the powerful Swedish duo of No. 2 Ingrid Lindblad and No. 6 Beatrice Wallin; and No. 15 Megha Ganne, who nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open last summer at age 17.
2021 champion Tsubasa Kajitani will not return to defend her title she won in a playoff last spring.
Bae, currently ranked No. 80 in the world, has the credentials to compete. She was a second-team All-SEC selection and honorable-mention All-American in 2021, and won the Georgia Women’s Amateur and the Georgia Women’s Open on back-to-back weeks over the summer.
She continues to build on that success this spring, leading the team in scoring average and posting two top-10 finishes in eight events. She will participate in the LPGA Q-School in August but intends to return to Georgia for her COVID-19 season.
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