It's Not Even Masters Week And The 12th Hole Has Already Struck At Augusta National

We are just days away from the start of the Masters, but the iconic course at Augusta National has already caused some serious issues.

Despite taking a one-stroke lead into Saturday at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, Asterisk Talley collapsed on the back nine, allowing Maria Jose Marin to storm to victory at Augusta.

Like we've seen so many times before, it was the par 3 12th hole that turned the tide and caused anguish for yet another golfer.

After two bogey-free rounds and another 10 holes without dropping a shot, Talley looked well on course to secure the win at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

However, a bogey on the 11th and then a disastrous quadruple bogey on the 12th saw her plummet down the leaderboard.

Talley's tee shot on the par 3 went long and into the bushes, before bouncing down and landing in the bunker. From there, the 17-year-old went far too aggressive and fired her second shot into the water.

Exiting Rae’s Creek comes at a cost, of course. Talley could have taken a drop on the other side of the water, or returned to the bunker to try again. She opted for the latter, but the outcome was exactly the same.

Deciding to take the drop this time, Talley ended up sinking a long-range putt to record a seven on the hole. That left her at nine-under for the tournament, five shots behind Marin. She may have recovered with a birdie on the 13th, but the damage was done by that point.

The young American joins a long line of top golfers who have crumbled on Amen Corner in the past. The most infamous of them all was Jordan Spieth's shocking collapse in 2016, when he tried and failed to defend his title.

On that devilish 12th hole, Spieth cut his tee shot straight into the Creek, with his next also finding the water. His fifth landed in the bunker, before he finally ended the torment and put down a seven on his scorecard.

We've also seen the likes of Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, and Francesco Molinari relinquish control at Augusta on the 12th hole in the past, and now Talley joins that undesirable club.

Interestingly, Talley appeared to foreshadow that awful situation just the day before her big final round. Speaking to the press after day two, she said: "We've all watched the Masters, right? With all the meltdowns that happen on Amen Corner, anything can happen.

"Someone can make a 10 or someone can make a 1. There's a lot of water on this course. There's a lot of slopes. Anyone can lose their ball or maybe make it, so anything can really happen."

Unfortunately, Talley essentially manifested her own downfall. She isn't the first to suffer at the hands of Augusta, though, and she certainly won't be the last.