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EVANS, Georgia — For a second consecutive year, past champion Anna Davis was hit with a devastating penalty at the fifth edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. This time it was for slow play, and once again, she missed the cut.
Davis played alongside tournament leader Lottie Woad and Maria Jose Marin in the second round at Champions Retreat and was notified several times during the round that her group was out of position, said rules committee chair Jim Hyler in a tournament statement.
Davis, 18, received her first bad time after hitting her second shot on the fifth hole, and her second bad time after hitting her second shot on the 17th. She was assessed a one-stroke penalty, that was applied on the 17th hole, resulting in a bogey.
Davis shot 6-over 78 on a blustery day and finished at 4 over for the tournament, missing the cut by one stroke. The top-30 players and ties advance to the final round on Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
Some time after the round, a tearful Davis emerged from the clubhouse on Thursday afternoon with her father but was too emotional to talk to a group of reporters, though she did flash a smile. It was still too raw.
Just yesterday, Davis was laughing with reporters about the cards that were passed out on Wednesday morning explaining the rules for preferred lies.
Last year, Davis suffered a four-stroke penalty after she twice picked up the ball from the rough to start the first round. The rule restricts the use of preferred lies to “areas cut to fairway height or less.” She missed the cut by two strokes last year.
Davis, who couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the cards, talked earlier in the week about how much she has grown since winning the ANWA as a 16-year-old bucket-hat-wearing sensation. Winning at Augusta at such a young age, and then playing in several LPGA majors as a result, forced her to grow up a little faster, she said.
“I think I have seen myself grow,” said the Auburn freshman on Tuesday. “Just especially with the situation last year. I think how I handled it was good, and I think if you put me in that situation a few years ago it would’ve been a little different.
“I think if I was put in that situation now, I would handle it better than I did last year.”
Little did she know that another tough lesson would come so quickly.