By the time Asterisk Talley reached the 18th hole at Augusta National on Sunday, her story had already been written and tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.
The 17-year-old amateur star started the day with a one-shot lead Augusta Women’s National Amateur after posting bogey-free rounds at the Champions Retreat. Through the first nine holes on Sunday, Talley looked fit for the moment. She bogeyed Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before making the turn at 3-under 33. With nine holes remaining, Talley’s lead remained slim. But she hadn’t made a bogey at ANWA since the sixth hole of the final round last year and had never made a bogey on the back nine at Augusta in her first two trips around the famous course.
Everything seemed set for Asterisk Talley, whose first name means “Little Star,” to take home one of the biggest prizes in amateur golf.
Then, everything became clear.
Talley bogeyed the par-4 11th to drop into a tie with Maria Jose Marin, and then, on Augusta’s shortest hole, the par-3 12th, Talley’s tournament chances vanished. She hit her tee shot over the green and into the bushes. Luckily it bounced off the bushes and into the back bunker. But Talley said the sand was firm, which prevented him from making many spins on the second shot. She made contact and the ball ran onto the green and into Rae’s Creek. She chose to go back down to the bunker and play the same shot, but she again drove it through the putting surface and into the water. She made a quadruple bogey on 7, and her tournament chase was over. She came home in 42 to shoot a final round of 3-over 75 and finish six shots behind Marin.
After Talley scored a final score, the emotions of a missed opportunity welled up.
“I’m a little emotional,” a teary-eyed Talley said after the round. “Not only because I didn’t do it today, but also everyone is so supportive. It’s hard when you have to look at it and see that you’re not doing well or you’re not doing what you wanted to. I played well today, even though that hole just did me. Besides, it doesn’t define me as a golfer. I know what kind of player I am.”
As Talley left the course, Bryson DeChambeau hugged him and offered words of encouragement. DeChambeau’s Augusta National demons are well-documented. He was a low-key amateur in 2016, but then struggled to solve the Masters puzzle for years, including consecutive losses of 80 in 2022 and 2023. Last year, DeChambeau began the final round with a two-shot lead against Rory McIlroy and took the lead after the second hole. But the two-time US Open champion faded quickly, and a double bogey on No. 11 and a bogey on 12 sealed his Masters fate.
“He said keep your head up,” Talley said of DeChambeau. “He said he’s been in my position before, and he knows how it feels, especially here. He said you’re a great player. It doesn’t really matter.”
LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam also hugged Talley after a practice round.
“She said you’re the best,” Talley said. “She said you’re the best player here. Just don’t let it go to your head. Don’t let it beat you. You’re still such a good golfer.
“It’s great just coming from her, especially. She was the best player ever. To tell me I’m the best player here is pretty special. Again, that goes back to the support I have here. It’s really nice to have those people behind me and have moments like that here, especially when something like this happens.”
A botched club on the 12th and a poor drop decision doomed Talley’s ANWA hopes. But as the Stanford commit returned home on the back nine at Augusta National, her tournament hopes dashed, she stood her ground and moved forward with purpose, hoping her golf could still erase what had just happened. A birdie on the par-5 13th allowed him to take a breather, but Talley was unable to conjure up the closing spell.
The damage was long done by the time she hit her tee shot on No. 16 in the water. But Asterisk Talley, while excited and disappointed, got something of a closing walk with the shattered pieces of her ANWA dream.
“I kept fighting,” Talley said. “I was able to still keep my head in the right place, even after that little meltdown there. I still kept my head up heading into the last few holes. It just didn’t work out, but that’s OK.”
Of all those who offered Talley support and shelter after her round ended, it was surprisingly Talley’s parents whose message gave her what she needed after seeing her ANWA hopes dashed.
“They just told me they love me,” Talley said. “It didn’t define me as a player that happened out there. It’s hard not to get excited. There’s so much support here. I’m sorry. I think it’s harder when there’s support here watching you do it, but it’s good that they’re still with me now. I’m so happy they’re here.”
Talley has won big tournaments and had a few near misses. But this scar will be one she will carry. It’s the kind that Augusta National has a reputation for delivering the best in the world — an Asterisk Talley will have a shot at recovering next year when he returns.
But for now, all that remains is the thought of what might have been and the painful sting of dreams that didn’t come true Sunday at Augusta National.
“No, definitely not,” Talley said when asked if she had ever been hurt like that after a loss. “It just wasn’t my day today. But it’s okay.”
;)
