March 31, 2025 • by Dan Davies / Photographs courtesy of Augusta National Golf Club, FSU, USC, Stanford, South Carolina, Auburn & Ohio State Athletics
In the space of a few years, the Augusta National Women's Amateur has become one of the highlights of the golfing calendar. Bringing together the best young female amateur golfers on the planet, the tournament has produced high drama and a roll call of great champions. Here, we look at 10 of the many fine collegiate players who will be looking to write their names into history at Augusta this week.
You sense that the defending ANWA champion is ready to go on a tear. The junior from England, who is ranked #1 by WAGR, has not finished outside the top-three in eight collegiate stroke play events for FSU this season and is still riding a wave that swept her to a second place at the NCAA Championship, victory in the Curtis Cup with GB&I and finishing low amateur at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews. This will be her third appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and after making birdies on the three of the last four holes to seal a one-shot victory last year, you can be certain of one thing: Lottie Woad knows how to win.
The Malaysian junior has five collegiate stroke play wins to her name already and only five players have finished ahead of her this season, and they all did so in one tournament. Not surprisingly, Ting sits proudly at the top of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings. The transfer from Augusta University, which she led to a National Championship appearance in 2023, will be hoping that history repeats itself and she becomes the second successive Seminole to gild a dominant campaign with victory at Augusta National. She finished a very solid 8th on debut last year.
After finishing 4th on her debut in 2024, the University of Southern California’s star freshman has continued to fulfil her huge potential with four individual wins, including three in a row in the Fall to open her collegiate career. Koo’s adjusted scoring average this season is 68.8 and she is currently ranked #2 in college golf. More importantly, she is clearly comfortable on the big stage, as evidenced by her low amateur performance at the 2024 Chevron Championship. Last year, Koo eagled the 8th and 15th holes at Augusta National to card a closing 70. There are few players that can attack a course like she does.
The Spanish sophomore made the cut at last year’s ANWA, finishing in a tie for 24th. It was another impressive performance in a freshman season that culminated in a National Championship win with her Stanford teammates. This season, Sampedro has continued to progress. She has two individual wins and has finished under par in every stroke play tournament she’s played. Stanford has won every tournament it has entered in the 2024/25 season, as well as the final three events of last season. Spanish golfers also have a very special relationship with Augusta National. The omens are good.
Experience tends to reward players at Augusta National and the Arkansas sophomore has made the cut on both her previous appearances, improving each time. The 18-year-old from Colombia has won twice this season and not been outside the top three in the college rankings. As a two-time South American Women’s Amateur champion, Marin would continue a rich history of international success were she to finish on top this week at Augusta.
The 19-year-old from San Jose is building a quietly impressive season with the Oregon Ducks. Like Lottie Woad, she has yet to claim an individual win but has been a model of consistency for Head Coach Derek Radley. Romero has finished runner-up in three of her last four collegiate tournaments and you sense that once she wins one, she'll win two. In her freshman season, Romero starred as Oregon reached the semifinals at the 2024 NCAA DI Championship, capping a season that also saw her win the 2023 ANNIKA Collegiate Invitational.
The highly-rated Swedish freshman has plenty of experience at this tournament, having played three times before. She will be hoping to build on her 12th place on debut rather than the missed cuts in the last two years. The evidence of this season suggests she will be in the mix. In February, Ortengren won the San Diego State Classic by eight shots and has four other top-five finishes in college stroke play tournaments this season. Her adjusted stroke average in college events in 2024/25 is a remarkable 68.4.
The Thai freshman has made a fast start to her USC career, winning a playoff against Lottie Woad in at the prestigious Moon Golf Invitational in just her second collegiate event. Galitsky was also in the mix with nine holes to play at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The 18-year-old has two previous ANWA appearances under her belt, including a T8 last year. In 2023, she won the Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur and finished as low amateur at the Chevron Championship. Currently #20 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings. Galitsky looks set to become one of the stars of the college game.
The left-hander knows how to get it done at Augusta National, winning the 2022 ANWA as a 16-year-old debutant. Last year, in her freshman season at Auburn the Californian won the NCAA Auburn Regional. She has added two more victories in her sophomore campaign for the Tigers. Most recently, she finished at the head of one of the strongest fields in women’s collegiate golf at the Charles Schwab Women’s Invitational at Colonial Country Club, where she carded a closing bogey-free 64 (-6) to win by a shot.
The 20-year-old junior is enjoying a fantastic season for Ohio State, winning three of her last four tournaments, including a dominant four-shot win over a stacked field at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge. It was her first collegiate victory and sparked a run of form that has seen her add two more individual titles, including last weekend’s Clemson Invitational, where she shot a career best 54-hole score of 200 (-16), which featured another personal best — an eight-under-par 64 in round three.