One of the bright young talents in Australian golf has a date with Augusta in April after receiving an invitation to play in the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).
South Australian Raegan Denton, the reigning Australian Girls Junior champion and Australian Golf Digest Junior Player of the Year, has spent the past three weeks playing tournaments, returning home to one of the most coveted items of mail in world golf.
It shapes as a huge year for the 18-year-old, who will tee it up at next week’s Australian Amateur Championship in Perth before joining the six-strong Australian contingent that will contest the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Wellington, New Zealand, from February 12-15, the winner of which receives starts in three LPGA majors in 2026.
Denton has also committed to start her US college career at Louisiana State University (LSU) in August, her Augusta assignment an ideal entrée to starting her new life in America.
Established in 2019, the ANWA has crowned six winners to date, including the likes of Jennifer Kupcho, Rose Zhang and Lottie Woad, now stars on the LPGA Tour.
The first two rounds are played at nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club with the top 30 and ties advancing to the final round played at famed Augusta National Golf Club on the Saturday before the Masters.
Advised back in November that she was being considered for a spot in the exclusive field, Denton was initially suspicious that her impending invite was not an online scam.
“I received an e-mail in late November letting me know that I could be a player and that if I get in, they’ll let me know in the second week of January, which was a bit torturing,” Denton said.
“The second week I was away – I wasn’t even home – I woke up to an e-mail from UPS with a tracking number for my package, which was kind of funny. I almost didn’t open it thinking it could have been a scam. I was like, What am I getting from UPS? I didn’t order anything. But I opened it and I absolutely freaked out.
“I ran and told my parents and it was just so cool. I was away for three weeks playing in a few events so I only opened it on Saturday. It’s been sitting at home for two weeks but it was a good thing to come home to.
“I’m so excited. I can’t wait. It’s going to be such a great experience.”
Denton’s World Amateur Golf Ranking has soared since December, now at a career high of 37th in the world on the back of wins at the NextGen Amateur Tour World Final, Port Philip Open and Victorian Amateur and Australian Master of the Amateurs in Melbourne.
Taking time out in late 2025 to complete her schooling at Henley High School in Adelaide, Denton is excited at the prospect of playing tournaments without assignments hanging over her head… at least until she lands at LSU.
“I don’t think there’s been anything specific that I’ve been doing differently, I’ve just been really consistent with everything,” said Denton, who tied for fourth with fellow amateur Jazy Roberts at the Vic Open earlier this month.
“If anything, it’s just hard work paying off, which is really, really good to see.
“I actually took a bit of a break late last year for my exam period. I just wanted to get that done. And then first event back was NextGen, which I played really well in and won.
“It was really good to see the time that I took off, pay off, and I’m just really excited to be done. It’s great going to tournaments not thinking about assignments that I have to be doing and I can just put all my focus into the tournament.”
West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley is the only Australian to date to qualify for the final round at Augusta National, finishing tied for eighth in 2022, four strokes behind American Anna Davis.
The 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be played from April 1-4.
