Playing Augusta National 'One Of The Thrills Of My Life' - Dame Laura Davies
The four-time Major winner also discussed the possibility of a Women's Masters happening in the future
The first week of April is always a date marked in any golfer's calendar, with The Masters getting underway at the iconic Augusta National. It's arguably the biggest tournament in golf, with the opening Major of the year getting underway on the 6th April.
Before the main event though, we get a glimpse of the Georgia layout with the Augusta National Women's Amateur tournament, as the future stars of the game descend on The Masters' venue.
First debuted in 2019, Augusta National Chairman, Fred Ridley, announced that the club would host the Augusta National Women's Amateur, with the talk still surrounding whether a women's Masters could be on the horizon. What makes the men's event special is that it's always staged at the same venue and, having played the course in 1993, Sky Sports' Golf expert, Dame Laura Davies, says it's "one of the thrills of my life playing that golf course."
Posed the question of whether she has heard anything about a women's Masters, the 59-year-old stated: "I never heard anything. I mean I’d have loved to have played there. I played there once in 1993, just a round with a member, which was one of the thrills of my life playing that golf course.
"But I mean it’s great that the amateur girls get to play the week before. They only play one round around Augusta itself but at least they get that chance to play a final round at Augusta on Saturday. It would have been lovely but never heard it tabled once."
So, how likely is it that there will be a women's Masters in the future? Well, according to Ridley back in 2019, not very, with the Chairman previously stating that "our focus throughout our history, as far as our efforts to promote the game outside of the Masters, has always been on amateur golf.”
Asked about whether the pros could play, Davies, put simply, doesn't see it, with the four-time Major winner stating that "I don’t think so. I think they’ve done this amateur thing probably to stop anyone worrying about whether the pros will get there. If it ever happened, it would be lovely, obviously. I’d be the most jealous person watching that golf tournament because clearly I wouldn’t get a start in the field unless they did pensioner's rates or something."
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The men's event gets underway on the 6th April, with live coverage starting at 2pm (BST) on Thursday. Along with Davies, we will see Sir Nick Faldo making an appearance in the broadcasting booth with Sky Sports, as the three-time Green Jacket winner returns to our screens having initially stepped away from broadcasting last June.
How can you watch the action you may ask? Well, you can watch the opening Major of the year live from April 6-9 exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf and NOW.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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