Chip Shots: Crystal Wang on her Augusta National Women’s Amateur Experience

Tuesday, March 28, Chairman’s Dinner:

After the practice round, we all got invited to this fancy dinner hosted by the Chairman himself in the Founders Room at Augusta National. Diana Murphy was waiting for us at the entrance to welcome each player. We had a great time hanging out with the other players and the club members outside, and we even took a group photo behind the first tee box. Inside, we had dinner and listened to Diana Murphy and the Chairman welcome us all to this special event. They even showed us a video of highlights from previous years and told us about how it all started because of Bobby Jones, one of the co-founders of Augusta National and the best amateur golfer ever.

Wednesday, March 29, First Round:

I was pretty nervous at the start of the round since I didn’t do so well last year, plus it was pretty windy out there. I was struggling with my short game for the first few holes, but I tried to keep my cool and learn from my mistakes. After the fourth hole, I managed to hit all the greens, and things started to go more smoothly. I was super happy after the round to see that I played better than last year and was in great position.

Thursday, March 30, Second Round:

Heading into the second round, I was still feeling pretty anxious. I got pretty frustrated after having two three-putts and finding myself in some greenside bunkers right off the bat. But I reminded myself that I still had plenty of holes left and to just stay focused on what I could control. I managed to make pars and one birdie until there were just two holes left. On hole 17, I saw that I was right above the cut line with +2. But after sinking a 25-foot putt for birdie, I felt a lot more relaxed going into the 18th. I just needed to play it safe, make par, and I’d be good to go.

Friday, March 31, Berckmans Place:

Everyone was hanging out outside the Augusta National clubhouse, having some drinks and chatting, when we heard that there was a surprise guest for tonight’s event. Turned out it was Niall Horan! All the players, including me, were super surprised and excited. He played some songs for us, and we all took a big group photo together. After dinner, there was a putting competition, and Niall Horan even hung out with us players. It was pretty unbelievable that he was right there at the tournament.

Saturday, April 1, Final…