By: Max Bechtoldt
Established in 2019, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur puts the spotlight on women’s golf unlike arguably any other event on the calendar. It is a chance for the best women’s amateur golfers in the world to play the most famous course in the United States on national television.
With the 2024 edition this week, let’s take a look back at the past winners of this event.
Jennifer Kupcho
The first playing of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is iconic to this day for being a duel between, at the time, college stars Maria Fassi from Arkansas and Jennifer Kupcho from Wake Forest. Kupcho gained almost immediate superstar status from her win and has maintained that in her short LPGA career. Kupcho has three LPGA Tour victories including winning the final Chevron Championship at Mission Hills as her first major. She has also played on two Solheim Cup teams and has 16 career top-ten finishes.
Tsubasa Kajitani
After not being played in 2020, the 2021 ANWA was won by Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani. Kajitani hasn’t seen the same success since winning her ANWA. Still an amateur, Kajitani is currently a freshman on the Seminole State Women’s golf team. She did win the individual title at the Mercer Invitational this year, but is currently ranked No. 1394 in the world women’s amateur rankings.
Anna Davis
Davis won the 2022 ANWA at only 16-years-old, the youngest winner of the event’s brief history. Davis, of Spring Valley, Calif., is a freshman at Auburn where she has found some individual success in the competitive SEC. She is currently ranked No. 17 in the amateur rankings and is in the field once again this year, looking for her second ANWA title.
Rose Zhang
Rose Zhang (above) was already a well-established star in the world of amateur golf heading into the 2023 ANWA. In 2022 she led Stanford to a Division I National Championship while also capturing the individual title. She also won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and was on the verge of being ranked No. 1 in the amateur rankings longer than any other woman in history. The ANWA made her a global superstar though. Combine that with winning a second Division I National Title and winning her first career event as a pro, and Rose Zhang is one of the biggest names on the LPGA Tour before turning 21.
