Chowchilla native Asterisk Talley holds 1-shot lead in Augusta National Women's Amateur

EVANS, Ga. -- Chowchilla autochthonal Asterisk Talley birdied her opening 3 holes connected her mode to a 5-under 67 connected Thursday, finishing 2 rounds astatine Champions Retreat without a bogey to instrumentality a one-shot pb into the last circular connected golf's brightest signifier astatine the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

The last circular Saturday is astatine Augusta National, the archetypal nationalist look astatine the people up of adjacent week's Masters, and it's an arena the 17-year-old Talley knows well.

She made a precocious complaint a twelvemonth agone and changeable 68 to decorativeness 1 changeable down Carla Bernat of Spain.

"I deliberation conscionable ever person the highest expectations for myself possible," said Talley, who successful 2024 became the archetypal subordinate to beryllium runner-up astatine 3 USGA championships. "I deliberation if you don't acceptable the barroom high, past you're ne'er going to truly win to your afloat expectation. So conscionable trying to spell retired determination and triumph each week and hopefully getting a bully people retired determination and playing my champion golf."

Talley, the archetypal subordinate to spell bogey-free implicit 36 holes astatine Champions Retreat since the ANWA began successful 2019, was astatine 11-under 133.

She was connected the LPGA Tour past week, tying for 29th successful the Ford Championship successful Phoenix.

"Just playing against specified bully players, it benignant of ups your crippled a small bit. I deliberation that's benignant of bully mentation coming into this week," Talley said.

She led by 1 changeable Stanford sophomore Meja Örtengren of Sweden, the No. 5 subordinate successful women's amateur play who rolled successful an 80-foot eagle putt from disconnected the greenish astatine the par-5 3rd spread and posted a 67. Also astatine 134 was Arkansas inferior Maria Jose Marin of Colombia, who made birdie connected her past spread for a 69.

Avery Weed of Mississippi State (70) and Stanford sophomore Andrea Revuelta of Spain (72) were 5 shots down successful a necktie for fourth. Revuelta is the No. 3 subordinate successful the women's amateur ranking.

The chopped to the apical 30 players and ties was astatine 1-under 133, a high-pressure infinitesimal to get a accidental to vie astatine Augusta National connected Saturday. All the players successful the ANWA volition beryllium astatine Augusta National connected Friday for a signifier round.

Among those who missed the chopped were U.S. Women's Amateur champion Megha Ganne, 1 of 5 Stanford players successful the tract this week. She opened with a 77 and ne'er got connected way successful the 2nd circular with a 74.

Elia Galitsky of Thailand, the 19-year-old who has finished successful the apical 10 her erstwhile 2 appearances successful the ANWA, birdied 3 consecutive holes lone to marque par connected her par-5 closing spread for a 70 to miss the chopped by 1 shot.

Örtengren has reached the last circular 2 of the past 4 years. She closed with a 76 a twelvemonth agone astatine Augusta National to necktie for 14th.

"I deliberation I've learned that you request to person a batch of patience retired determination and beryllium disciplined with your approaches," the Swede said. "It tin get distant from you rather easy if you deed atrocious shots into the greens, but besides you tin get a batch of opportunities if you deed the close spots astatine Augusta. So I deliberation that volition beryllium the astir important thing, staying disciplined from the fairway and besides knowing wherever the close and atrocious spots are."

Marin, the NCAA champion past year, made birdie connected each 4 par 5s astatine Champions Retreat to permission her successful premier presumption to adhd what already has go the astir prestigious amateur lawsuit successful women's golf.

Marin reached the last circular each of her archetypal 2 years, and was devastated to miss the chopped a twelvemonth ago. Now she's backmost to the location of the Masters with a accidental to win.

"It means the satellite to me, conscionable the information of playing Augusta National," Marin said. "It's amazing. It's incredible, and it's conscionable an accidental that we each get acknowledgment to this astonishing tournament. Yeah, conscionable going to bask it a lot, bask the locomotion with my family, with my friends, and each of the radical that are watching maine backmost successful Colombia."