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Pauline Roussin-Bouchard birdied four of her first seven holes en route to a 2-under par 70 in the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The sophomore at the University of South Carolina missed joining the tournament playoff by one stroke.
“Overall, it’s a very, very good day,” the 20-year-old said. “It’s not every day that you can play under par at Augusta National, so I’m satisfied with today.”
The native of Carqueiranne, France, birdied No. 11 to inch her way toward the tournament lead, but consecutive bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13 proved costly.
“I lost points where I could have, you know, done a little bit better but we can always do better, right?” Roussin-Bouchard said. “But yeah, overall, very, very good round.”
Ana Peláez Triviño, a former University of South Carolina standout, carded a one-under par 71 Saturday to finish 12th at 5 over.
“I was extremely nervous on hole No. 1 but I told myself while warming up to go and enjoy every single feeling: the pressure, the nerves, everything,” Triviño said. “Just the magic of being here.”
Triviño was 2 under through her first five holes before dropping a stroke with a three-putt at the ninth. The 23-year-old shot even on the second nine, which included a birdie at No. 15. But when asked about the hole, Triviño didn’t begin with her own game.
“I was jealous at a turtle on No. 15 that I saw (on the bank of the pond),” Triviño said. “I was like, ‘That turtle can stay here and I only get to play it once.’ Come on.”
As for the overall experience, Triviño said the highlight of the tournament was having her father in attendance.
“I’m the player and I’m the one that practices and that everyone tells I deserve to be here but without my family, all the time, all the drives, I would not be here,” she said. “I deserve it, but he’s done half of my job.”
Caterina Don leads Georgia contingent
Caterina Don stood over her tee shot at No. 1 and thought to herself, “It doesn’t change.”
The University of Georgia standout competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019, but quickly learned Saturday that nerves don’t vanish the second time around.
“You know, your hands are still shaking on the first tee and when you hit that shot you’re just so happy to be there,” Don said.
Don carded a 77 during the final round and compiled a three-day total of 11 over. She finished 26th out of 30 players who made the cut.
The highlight of her round, outside of Don’s lone birdie at the par-5 eighth, was a 25-foot par putt on the final hole.
“I hit a bad drive in the woods and I laid up to not a really good number, and I finished on the top level,” Don said. “My back was facing the hole and I made what was an incredible putt. It’s a really nice way to finish this week.”
Don was one of three UGA players to compete this week, alongside Isabella Holpfer and Candice Mahe, but Don was the only Bulldog to make the cut.
When asked about feeling local support on Saturday, Don said, “A lot of people said, ‘Go Dawgs,’ today and it’s something that’s unusual for us and for women’s golf. I loved it.”