Lottie Woad stood in the middle of the 10th fairway at Augusta National Golf Club, staring down the back-left hole location.
The defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion came into Saturday’s final round with a share of the lead . By the time she reached the fairway of the downhill par 4, she was one behind, but there was no reason to panic. Last year, Woad finished birdie-par-birdie-birdie to claim the title , so facing a deficit on the back nine of one of the world’s most famous courses wasn’t something she was uncomfortable with.
But as the saying goes, the Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. And for Woad, a year after her triumph down Magnolia Lane and conquering the back nine, she experienced the brutal side of golf’s conquest for stardom…