The benefit of experience at Augusta National Golf Club is best expressed through a simple but commonly known piece of Masters trivia: outside the winners in the first two years of the tournament, only once has a player slipped on a green jacket in his debut at ANGC (Fuzzy Zoeller, 1979).
While the Augusta National Women’s Amateur has only been held six times, a similar pattern appears to be emerging. The last three winners, Rose Zhang, Lottie Woad and Carla Bernat Escuder, each had made a previous ANWA appearance, as had the player who had finished second to them.
Call it the “wow” factor, the aura of Augusta creating a psychological challenge for those not familiar with what it’s like to walk its fairways.
“My first year, I was maybe a little bit scared competing there for the first time,” said Kiara Romero, currently the No.1-ranked amateur in the world and a favourite this week, who missed the cut in her 2024 debut. “It’s not that I didn’t think I belonged there, I just really didn’t have that much confidence in myself on the bigger stages and didn’t have much experience with it.”
Last year in her second ANWA start, Romero held a share of the lead entering the final round, only to close with a disappointing two-over 74 in her first competitive round at Augusta National to fall back to a tie for seventh.
“Being on that first tee box, knowing that I’m competing for a championship at Augusta National, knowing that there are thousands of people in the crowd, the stakes were super high [last year] and I really let it get to me a little bit on the first few holes,” Romero said. “If I’m in that position again this year, I’ll be able to handle it a lot better.”
Since then, the 20-year-old University of Oregon All-American has been a force among the college/amateur ranks, with three wins and eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts along with a seventh-place showing in an LPGA event.
Mind you, our annual glimpse at players to watch does include three women who will be playing in the ANWA for the first time. But we’re thinking that the experience trend is something to pay close attention to in the coming years.
Auston Kim
Age: 19 | Home: Canada World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR): 25 Previous ANWA starts: First start
Notable: Was the only player in the top 50 of the WAGR who didn’t play in the 2025 ANWA. Made match play at last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur and British Women’s Amateur. Excited to return to Augusta National after making four Drive, Chip and Putt appearances, including winning the Girls 10-11 Drive, Chip and Putt national champion in 2018, and getting bench-pressed by Gary Player.
[Photo: Jamie Squire]
Anna Davis 
[Photo: Michael Reaves]
Age: 20 | Home: Spring Valley, Calif. WAGR: 14 Previous ANWA starts: Win (2022), MC (2023, 2024), T-11 (2025)
Notable: Remains the youngest ANWA winner in history when she claimed the 2022 title at age 16. Two-time winner last fall during the start of her junior year at Auburn. Since 2023, she has represented the United States in the Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup, Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Arnold Palmer Cup and Curtis Cup.
Aphrodite Deng
Age: 16 | Home: Canada WAGR: 11 Previous ANWA Appearances: First start
Notable: Named 2025 AJGA player of the year after a season in which she became first Canadian to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior title.
Raegan Denton
Age: 18 | Home: Adelaide, South Australia | WAGR: 37 | Previous ANWA starts: First start
Notable: The lone Aussie in the field, Denton arrives with serious momentum. The reigning Australian Girls Amateur champion has racked up wins at the Victorian Amateur and Master of the Amateurs and announced herself on the big stage with a hole-in-one in her Australian Open debut. Raised on a humble nine-hole track in Coffin Bay, she’s now headed for Louisiana State University later this year and first, Augusta National.
Megha Ganne 
[Photo: Tom Hauck]
Age: 22 | Home: Holmdel, N.J. WAGR: 6 Previous ANWA starts: MC (2021, 2022), T-9 (2023), T-20 (2024), T-7 (2025)
Notable: Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion has history at Augusta National, with five previous ANWA starts and four appearances in the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals. Holds ANWA 18-hole scoring record with 63 at Champions Retreat in 2025.
Jasmine Koo
Age: 20 | Home: Cerritos, Calif. WAGR: 13 Previous ANWA starts: 4 (2024), T-18 (2025)
Notable: Grabbed first stroke-play victory of her sophomore season at USC two weeks ago in Hawaii, winning by six shots. Won four times as a freshman—including three straight—to match school record for most wins in a season as well as most consecutive wins.
Rianne Malixi 
[Photo: Daniel Pockett/R&A]
Age: 19 | Home: The Philippines WAGR: 15 Previous ANWA starts: MC (2024)
Notable: The Duke sophomore was a favourite to win the 2025 ANWA but had to withdraw late due to a back injury. Became just the second golfer to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior in the same year in 2024. Won first college title in January.
Maria Jose Marin
Age: 19 | Home: Colombia WAGR: 7 Previous ANWA starts: T-14, (2023), T-30 (2024), MC (2025)
Notable: The Arkansas junior is the top-ranked player in the 2025-26 women’s college rankings, thanks to six top-five finishes this season. Looking to win a second-straight NCAA individual title, something done just once previously (Former ANWA champion Rose Zhang in 2022 and 2023). Has the best finish of any player from Colombia in ANWA history.
Amanda Sambach
Age: 23 | Home: Raleigh, N.C. WAGR: 23 Previous ANWA starts: MC (2021, 2022), T-14 (2023, 2024), T-18 (2025)
Augusta National
Notable: Playing in her sixth ANWA, tied with Megha Ganne for the most appearances. Was a four-time All-American at Virginia and became the first player in school history to finish top three at the ACC Championship all four years in school, including a win in 2023.
Paula Martin Sampedro
Age: 20 | Home: Spain WAGR: 2 Previous ANWA starts: T-24 (2024), T-18 (2025)
Notable: Won the British Women’s Amateur and European Ladies’ Amateur titles last summer while also being low amateur at AIG Women’s British Open (T-8). The Stanford sophomore is one of eight golfers in ANWA field either currently playing for the Cardinal or set to attend school in future.
Farah O’Keefe 
[Photo: Orlando Ramirez]
Age: 20 | Home: Austin, Texas WAGR: 4 Previous ANWA starts: T-20 (2024), 10 (2025)
Notable: Has three wins during the spring season with Texas, and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 during the 2025-26 campaign, posting a 67.9 adjusted stroke average with 18 of 21 rounds under par.
Catherine Park
Age: 21 | Home: Irvine, Calif. WAGR: 12 Previous ANWA starts: T-30 (2024), T-4 (2025)
Notable: Shot a closing 67, with eagles on the eighth and 13th holes at Augusta National during last year’s ANWA, avenging a 78 in the 2024 final round. Set USC record for most top-10s in a single season (10) and most par or better rounds (26) in 2024-25. “Only” has five in her senior season of 2025-26.
Andrea Revuelta 
[Photo: Al Chang/ISI Photos]
Age: 19 | Home: Spain WAGR: 3 Previous ANWA starts: T-20 (2024), T-4 (2025)
Notable: Trying to become the second straight Spaniard to win the ANWA title after finishing four shots back of countrywoman Carla Bernat Escuder in 2025. Has finished outside the top-10 just once during his sophomore season at Stanford.
Kiara Romero
Age: 20 | Home: San Jose, Calif. WAGR: 1 Previous ANWA starts: MC (2024), T-7 (2025)
Notable: The 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior champ has had a standout career at Oregon, winning six college titles in 2½ seasons, most in school history. Currently has a 67.37 stroke average in her junior year. Looking to avenge closing 74 in last year’s ANWA after sharing the lead entering the final round. By winning the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world’s top amateur at the end of 2025, she is already in the field at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and AIG Women’s British Open.
Asterisk Talley 
[Photo: Richard Heathcote]
Age: 17 | Home: Cowchilla, Calif. WAGR: 10 Previous ANWA starts: T-8 (2024), 2 (2025)
Notable: Shot a final-round 68 at the 2025 ANWA, falling one shot shy of the victory. Had an impressive ANWA tune-up with a T-9 finish at the LPGA’s Ford Championship this past week. Played on the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2024 at age 15. Two-time Drive, Chip and Putt national finalist. Ranked No. 1 in the Rolex Junior Golf ranking. Will have World No. 1 junior Miles Russell working as her caddie.
Avery Weed
Age: 20 | Home: Ocean Springs, Miss. WAGR: 40 Previous ANWA starts: MC (2025)
Notable: Ranked No.4 nationally during junior season at Mississippi State with one win and five top-four finishes in eight starts. Has three career wins for the Bulldogs.
