2023 Golfweek Awards: Female Amateur of the Year

The 2023 Golfweek Award winner for Female Amateur of the Year goes to …

For the second straight year, there wasn’t much conversation among Golfweek‘s staff when it was time to decide the Female Amateur of the Year.

There were plenty of remarkable performances and stellar athletes across the globe who shined bright during the 2023 calendar year. There were defending champions proving their worth, plenty of first-time winners and veterans standing out when the lights were brightest, but one female golfer stood out among them all.

In the end, it came down to four athletes, three who made honorable mention and the Golfweek Female Amateur of the Year. This year’s winner only built on her legacy and cemented herself as the greatest female amateur of all time. The 2023 Golfweek Award winner for Female Amateur of the Year goes to …

MORE: Every Golfweek Award for 2023

Meet ‘Super’ Billy Davis, twin of ANWA champ Anna, who is making a name for himself

He went from likely watching his sister from outside the ropes to earning a berth alongside her as a member of the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup in Rome.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It’s been a super summer for Super Billy Davis.

Davis, 17, of Spring Valley, California, whose Instagram handle is @SuperBillyDavis, will try to cap off a magical run with victory at the AJGA’s Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, Sept. 1-3.

Davis is the twin brother of 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis – “she’s two minutes older than me,” he says – and busting out of her shadow in a big way.

Beginning in December, he’s finished tied for second in the Jones Cup Junior Invitational, won two AJGA titles including the Mayakoba Invitational in April, finished third in the Toyota World Cup representing the U.S. in Japan and helped the West team win the Wyndham Cup in July. At the U.S. Junior Championship later that month, his first USGA championship, he advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual runner-up Joshua Bai of New Zealand. A week later, on August 1, he tied for second in the Junior PGA Championship.

Add it all up and he has progressed from likely watching his sister from outside the ropes to earning a berth alongside her as a member of the 12-person U.S. Junior Ryder Cup (six boys and six girls), which will compete in Rome Sept. 26-28.

“It’s really unexpected,” he said. “It wasn’t something I had my sights set on at all, but once I got on this run I ended up earning a whole bunch of points.”

Indeed, he did, and at minimum he will enjoy some good pizza, pasta and gelato as a result while hoping he also can pick the brain of fellow San Diego native Xander Schauffele in Rome. Davis has climbed to fifth in the AJGA’s Rolex rankings and No. 460 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He still has a long way to go to catch his twin, who is ranked No. 4 in the women’s ranking and finished second at the LPGA Tour’s Mizuho Americas Open. Anna, who made her bucket hat famous during her victorious turn at Augusta National last year, is just behind Rose Zhang as a leading lady of women’s golf. Asked how he handles being in her shadows, Super Billy says it’s actually pretty cool and has its benefits – such as when they go to their home course in San Diego and everyone wants to talk to big sister.

“She can hardly practice while I can do my thing,” he said. “Every once in a while, someone will stop me and say, ‘Hey, didn’t I see you caddying for your sister on TV?’ ”

But Super Billy won’t be under the radar for long if he keeps racking up wins and top finishes in the biggest junior events. He is yet another super-talented ballstriking machine. He’s 135 pounds soaking wet and with his glasses on – one can only imagine that once the Auburn University commit (as is his sister) gets on a rigorous training program and grows into his wiry frame, he’ll only become longer. He’s already got enough pop. When asked how he fares against his sister, he says he more than holds his own. And in case you were wondering if a teen who goes by Super Billy has the swagger to match that of his sister, he adds, “It’s not a fair fight when we play from the tips.”

Players to watch at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club

It’s bound to be an exciting week at Bel-Air.

It’s time for one of the premier women’s amateur championships.

The 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur begins Monday at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, as the field of 156 players will vie for their chance to capture the oldest trophy in women’s amateur golf, the Robert Cox Trophy.

This will be the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur, which began in 1895. There were a record 1,679 entries accepted for the championship.

Although the top three players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking aren’t in the field, including defending champion Saki Baba, there’s no shortage of star power who will be teeing it up near Beverly Hills.

Here’s a look at 10 players to watch at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club.

Defending champ Yana Wilson earns medalist honors at 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior

Yana Wilson has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion.

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Seeing Yana Wilson and Anna Davis on top of the leaderboard should be no surprise to those who follow junior golf.

Wilson is the defending champion at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and she earned medalist honors this year at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following a second-round 4-under 68 to finish at 6-under 138, one shot ahead of Davis. The winner of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Davis is the highest-ranked player in the field and shot a second-round 1-under 71.

Now, the duo has secured the top seeds in match play, which begins at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday with the Round of 64.

The two have battled plenty in recent tournaments, including Wilson holing a shot for eagle to beat Davis in a playoff at the 2022 Annika Invitational.

Yana Wilson plays with a golf ball while waiting to hit her drive off the hole 17 tee box during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Wilson, an Oregon commit, and Davis, who’s headed to Auburn, are two of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. Kiara Romero, who finished third after 36 holes of stroke play, is an incoming freshman at Oregon.

Wilson will try to become the sixth medalist to hoist the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy since 2002. She also has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and first since Eun Jeong Seong in 2015-16.

The cut for match play was 7 over, and exactly 64 players were inside the line. It’s the first time no playoff was needed for the final spots since 2007 at Tacoma Golf and Country Club in Lakewood, Washington.

Additionally, there was another ace Tuesday, marking the fourth of the tournament. Sophie Stevens used a 9-iron from 132 yards on the seventh hole.

The four aces surpassed the 2004 U.S. Girls’ Junior for the most in a single championship. It also matches the USGA mark for a single event with the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

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Teams to watch at the USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball include Stanford mid-ams, pair of 14-year-olds and a bomber who nearly advanced through U.S. Open local qualifying

Match play begins on Monday with the Round of 32.

History was made at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball as seven teams shared medalist honors at stroke-play qualifying. That’s the most for any USGA championship, surpassing the six players who medaled at the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Bandon Dunes.

During an unseasonably warm and windy day at The Home Course in DuPont, Washington, the seven sides finished at 11-under 133 to top a crowded leaderboard. A total of 32 teams advanced to match play, with an 8-for-5 playoff moving into a Monday finish.

Defending champs Thienna Huynh, 19, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Sara Im, 18, of Duluth, Georgia, carried their momentum into 2023 as they shared medalist honors thanks to a nine-hole record of 30 on the front nine.

Thienna Huynh and Sara Im at the medalist ceremony during the the second round of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. on Sunday, May 14, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Match play begins on Monday with the Round of 32. With the NCAA Championship being held this week in Arizona, few college players were able to qualify for the event due to scheduling. That leaves a number of hotshot teen tandems in the field. In fact, there were 18 players in the field this week between the ages of 12 and 15.

Two teams of 14-year-olds advanced.

Here are five more teams to watch heading into match play:

Rose Zhang races out to lead at Augusta National Women’s Amateur after record 66; Anna Davis hit with four-stroke penalty

Zhang, 19, has won everything that matters in the amateur game except the ANWA.

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EVANS, Ga. — Rose Zhang said her father, Haibin, feverishly swept away the pine needles that were in the line of her 50-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole Wednesday at Champions Retreat.

“He was doing it like a maniac,” said Zhang, “and I was low-key kind of telling him to calm down in terms of trying to help me get the little stuff out of the way.”

Top-ranked Zhang drained the putt and later thanked dad for the assist. It was one of six birdies on the day for Zhang, who posted a record 6-under 66 at Champions Retreat, besting the previous record of 68 carded by 2019 champion Jennifer Kupcho and Zoe Campos in the opening round in the inaugural event. Zhang birdied all four par 5s and leads Ole Miss senior Andrea Lignell by one stroke.

“With the round being so soft and being muddy,” said Zhang, “I can’t really expect anything more out of my game today.”

ANWA: Photos

A dozen players broke par on a sun-splashed day in Evans, Georgia, where more than five inches of rain fell earlier in the week, forcing officials to put preferred lies into play. Unfortunately for 2022 champion Anna Davis, she was issued a four-stroke penalty after the round for twice picking up her ball in the rough on the first hole. The Model Local Rule stipulated that the ball could only be picked up in areas cut to fairway height or less.

Davis, who was informed of the potential penalty on the fourth tee, proceeded to double that hole and then made bogey on the fifth. She made four birdies coming in, however, to still give herself a shot at making the cut. The top 30 players and ties after 36 holes advance to the final round at Augusta National. Davis sits at 4-over 76, with her five on the opening hole changing to a nine after the round.

“I had a good round if you don’t count the first hole,” said Davis, who seemed to be in fine spirits after the round when talking to the media, all things considered.

The cut line right now falls at 2 over.

Sweden’s Lignell rode a hot putter to 67, crediting her fine play this college season to a “putting project” she put into place, concentrating on the greens for an hour or so each practice. She won her first two college titles last fall. Three weeks ago, she put a new putter in the bag, too.

“I expected to score maybe around par,” said Lignell, a biomedical engineering major. “It’s so much fun. It’s unbelievable.”

Zhang, 19, has won everything that matters in the amateur game except the ANWA. She joins Pat Hurst and Tiger Woods as the only players to win the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Junior and NCAA Championship.

Zhang, a winner of nine college events in two years at Stanford, said her father will be on the bag Thursday but that she might switch to an Augusta National caddie for the final round. When asked how dad has improved as a caddie over the years, Zhang said he’s definitely mellowed out and that she doesn’t have to guide him around like she once did.

“He’s still very much a very energy high kind of person,” she said, “and I think that matches really well with my nonchalant self when I’m on the golf course.”

Past champion Anna Davis receives four-stroke penalty at Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Davis recorded a bogey on the hole, but she wound up with a nine.

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EVANS, Ga. — Augusta National Women’s Amateur defending champion Anna Davis will face a severe uphill climb in her title defense after a four-shot penalty. Davis picked up her ball twice from the rough on the first hole at Champions Retreat to lift, clean and place, she explained after the round.

Davis thought she recorded a bogey on the hole but wound up with a nine, as two penalty strokes are applied to each infraction. Davis said she was informed of the potential violation on the fourth tee, which she proceeded to double.

The tournament released the following statement after her round: “During play of her first hole, Anna Davis lifted her ball and failed to replace it on its original spot on two separate occurrences. Under Rule 9.4, Ms. Davis has been penalized two strokes for each occurrence of playing from a wrong place. Her score on hole 1 will be increased from 5 to 9.”

“Little rough start to the day,” said Davis, “but that’s alright, it happens. It’s a learning experience.”

Augusta National sent out a memo to players on March 28 noting that due to heavy rains earlier in the week, the committee opted to adopt Model Local Rule E-3 “preferred lies” for the first two rounds of the tournament.

The rule restricts the use of preferred lies to “areas cut to fairway height or less.” Davis mistakenly thought the rule was for the entire course, which is why she did it twice on the first hole. She didn’t find out until after her round that she would take the penalty.

“I asked my scorer if we were doing it like everywhere,” said Davis, “but I guess he didn’t know. But he said, ‘Yeah, we were.’ So whatever, it happens.”

Davis has Ryan Bisharat, a family friend and former University of San Diego college player who plays out of the same club in California, on the bag this week. Davis said Bisharat tried to take the blame, and she assured him that everything was OK.

The top-30 players and ties advance to the final round, held at Augusta National. Davis won the third edition of the tournament last spring at age 16 and came into this week’s tournament fresh off a victory at the nearby Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

Davis sits at 4 over for the tournament and T-43.

Augusta National Women’s Amateur preview: Anna Davis dishes on her title defense

Davis entered the 2022 ANWA as a successful junior golfer but a relatively unknown name. A lot changes in a year.

This time last year Anna Davis entered the Augusta National Women’s Amateur as a successful junior golfer but a relatively unknown name.

Fast forward to this year and the 17-year-old will make a return trip down Magnolia Lane to defend her title as one of the must-watch players in the loaded field.

Donning her now-signature bucket hat, Davis shocked the patrons at Augusta National in 2022 with her come-from-behind victory as the 16-year-old became the event’s youngest champion in its three-year history and finished as the lone player under par for the tournament. Davis made four birdies in the final round, including two at Amen Corner on Nos. 12 and 13, with a lone bogey on the par-4 third hole.

Now 17, Davis thinks of herself as more mature both on and off the course, a dangerous combination for the rest of the field that includes the likes of 2021 champion Tsubasa Kajitani and the world’s top amateur and Stanford star, Rose Zhang.

“I think it’s made me mature a little bit more as a person and in my golf game, as well, that’s definitely a big thing,” Davis said of how her life has changed since her signature win.

Davis prepared for her title defense last week at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where she won wire-to-wire on a course that sets up with similar challenges to both Augusta National and Champions Retreat, where the first two rounds of the ANWA will be contested.

“Getting to play in this area is helpful,” Davis said of her Sage Valley experience, which is located less than 20 miles from Augusta National. “Sage Valley is very similar to Augusta and Champions Retreat so being able to play at Sage Valley is an advantage for sure.”

As if she needed another leg up on the field.

Wire-to-wire winners: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate en route to 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley titles

Last year’s Junior Invitational featured a pair of playoffs. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Last year the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley featured a pair of playoffs to decide the boys and girls titles. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis were out in front all week at the nation’s top junior tournament and will leave the pristine club among the South Carolina pines with the trophies and the event’s signature gold jackets. Each player held a five-shot lead entering Saturday’s final round and won in impressive fashion.

“I went into the week wanting to win, thinking I was gonna win,” said Davis after the final round. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself.”

Nika Ito, who finished solo second, holed out from the fairway for eagle on the 17th hole to put the pressure on Davis, who was keeping tabs on the leaderboard all afternoon.

“That’s my second time getting holed-out on having the lead, so I was used to it and thought, ‘Okay, it’s fine. It happens,'” said Davis. “When you’re in that position, you kind of have to expect that stuff to happen so it doesn’t catch you off guard.”

Davis responded by hitting a “pretty bad second shot” that narrowly avoided the water guarding the 17th green.

“I had room because I’m left-handed. If I was right-handed, I would have been standing in the water,” explained Davis. From there the rising star followed Ito’s lead and chipped in to stop the momentum swing.

Davis, an Auburn commit, turned 17 on Friday and celebrated her birthday by walking in the winning putt from just off the 18th green with some serious swagger to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

“Kind of a douche bag move,” she said with a chuckle after the round. “Right off the putter face I thought, ‘that has to be in,’ so I walked it in.”

Ito finished two shots back at 5 under, with Kiara Romero in third at even par after firing the day’s low round of 5-under 67.

Next up for Davis is her title defense in two weeks at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she’ll enter with even more pressure and expectations after her win in 2022.

“I think it just it helps like knowing that I can play in this area,” Davis said of the momentum she’ll take to her ANWA title defense. “Augusta and Champions Retreat are very similar to this course. I think just being able to play this kind of golf, being comfortable and being familiar with the area is always very helpful. So I think that just adds on to my win last year.”

Potgieter, the defending British Amateur champion, made eight birdies to win by a whopping 10 shots to set a record for the largest margin of victory in tournament history. The South African fired rounds of 65-70-68 to finish at 13 under for the week. Lee Byungho and Aaron Pounds finished T-2 at 3 under, with Eric Lee in fourth at 1 under and Preston Stout in fifth at even par.

“Yeah, it was awesome week, I really enjoyed it,” Potgieter said of his Junior Invitational debut and win. “Today was good a round. I struggled for a stretch, the par-5 fourth I missed a five-footer or something for birdie and then missed one on five. So that was kind of a disappointing break, but I knew that the back nine had a lot of opportunities and still having to play three par fives, I was still confident enough to put a good score on the board.

“I always run back to what Tiger Woods said, you don’t come to a tournament not to win. I came to kind of prepare for the Masters and getting the win here just gives me more confidence going into that,” added Potgieter. “I think this golf course is pretty similar to Augusta National, so I’m taking this as a learning curve to that course and if I play like this week, I think I’ll do pretty good.”

Potgieter was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the boys field struggled to score while he was under par each day this week.

“Most of the guys were just kind of pissed at me because I was hitting it 50 yards passed everyone,” he jokingly said with a laugh, “so I guess that makes the golf course a little bit easier, carrying all the bunkers and getting in play still.”

As the British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned an spot in the field for the 2023 Masters and will join Davis at Augusta National in two weeks time.

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Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter lead at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where no lead is safe

The first-round leaders remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The players at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley are treated like royalty the minute they step on the picturesque property tucked away behind the South Carolina pines. They also have 18 king and queen-sized challenges waiting for them as soon as they put a tee in the ground.

Known as one of, if not the best junior golf tournaments in the world, this year’s Junior Invitational – which boasts a field of the top girls and boys golfers from around the world – has been a survival of the fittest test this week, and Friday’s second round at Sage Valley Golf Club was no different. The winds were high, and for the second consecutive day, the scores were as well.

First-round leaders Anna Davis and Aldrich Potgieter remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance entering the final round.

Davis looks to celebrate 17th birthday with win

Davis turned 17 on Friday and celebrated by taking a five-shot lead over the field to hold a commanding lead ahead of Saturday’s finale.

“It was kind of the same thing as yesterday, I hit just about every fairway and green and then one putt or two putt and then move on to the next hole,” said Davis, who was dissatisfied with her putting on Thursday despite taking the early lead with a 2-under 70. The defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion was one shot better on Friday with a 3-under 69. “I just started off a little better, I didn’t have as many three putts so I just had a better start to the round.”

Nika Ito is in solo second at even par, with Fiona Xu and Andrea Revuelta T-3 at 2 over. Kati Li and Bailey Shoemaker round out the top five at 3 over.

While you may think a five-to-eight-shot advantage may be insurmountable, don’t forget what happened last year at Sage Valley, where Shoemaker lost a seven-shot lead in the final round and wound up falling short to Amalie Leth-Nissen in a playoff.

“I love to come from behind, I think that’s the best place to be. Having a lead is pretty hard, especially having a two-day lead,” explained Shoemaker, a USC commit. “I know what happened to me last year, so I’d like to turn the tables and get my own little taste of it. So hopefully, hopefully, I can do a little bit like Amalie did to me last year.

“I’ve been thinking about Sage Valley for the last three months, just hoping to get my little taste of revenge. Hopefully,I can shoot something tomorrow and just post the score and give myself a chance.”

Can anyone catch Potgieter?

Over on the boys’ side, Potgieter has a five-shot lead of his own after following a Thursday 65 with a Friday 70 to sit at 9 under, but he’s not the only player to go low this week. Connor Williams, bound for Arizona State in the fall, fired a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Friday to clip Eduardo Derbez Torres (68) for the day’s low round.

“Honestly, the first few holes I was hitting it really good, gave myself chances. I had a rough stretch off the tee from Nos. 7-10, hit a really bad drive on 10 but got a good break from a kick back in the fairway,” Williams said of his round. “From there I locked in, took it low and made a good eagle on 15, hit a really good drive and only had a 7-iron in, so that helped a lot. Closed it out well.

“You gotta give every shot your full attention because you know the next one can be just as hard,” added Williams, who has become friends with Potgieter after sharing a cottage with him this week. “I did a great job with that today. I took it one step at a time, didn’t really get ahead of myself and it worked out well.”

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