Sambach, Lillie open play at Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia golfers Amanda Sambach (Davidson, N.C.) and Beth Lillie (Fullerton, Calif.) opened play at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Wednesday. Sambach finished the day tied for 24th place at 2-over 74 while Lillie was in 52nd position at 5-over 77. Only eight players in the 72-competitor field managed to shoot par or better during the opening round.

Italy’s Benedetta Moresco and 16-year-old junior golfer Anna Davis share the first-day lead at 2-under 70.

Sambach got off to a solid start with a birdie on the first hole of the Champions Retreat Golf Club. A bogey on No. 7 brought her back to even par before she posted birdies on No. 8 and 10 to share the overall lead at 2-under after her first 11 holes. Bogeys on No. 12 and 16 dropped her back to even par before she posted a double-bogey on the par-3 17th hole.

Lillie’s round included five bogeys and no birdies

Following Thursday’s second round, the top 30 players will advance to the final round of competition that will take place Saturday at Augusta National. The first 36 holes of the championship are being contested at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The entire field will play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 1.

This is Sambach’s second appearance at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also played in the tournament in 2021. The field for the tournament features 72 of the top women’s amateur players from around the world. Sambach and Lillie qualified  by being among the United States’ top-30 players in the final World Amateur Golf Rankings for 2021

NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours of live final-round coverage at Augusta National from 12-3 p.m. EDT on April 2, 2022. NBC Sports will also provide pre-event promotion across NBCUniversal’s portfolio, while Golf Channel will deliver highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, including onsite during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat. Additionally, Golf Channel’s “Live From the Masters” will commence on Friday, April 1 from Augusta National and wrap ANWA coverage on Saturday, April 2.

More information, including live scoring, is available www.ANWAgolf.com.