Lightning strikes twice as former ANWA champ receives costly penalty

Anna Davis missed the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur by one shot after receiving a penalty for slow play.

Davis, who won the event in 2022, played with Lottie Woad and Maria Jose Marin in the first two rounds and the group was told multiple times that they were out of position during the second round.

Rules Committee chairman Jim Hyler confirmed in a statement that while being timed, Davis received her first bad time on hole 5 at Champions Retreat before being officially docked a shot later in the round.

“Anna Davis was assessed a one-stroke penalty for violation of the Tournament’s Pace of Play Policy. Her group, which included Lottie Woad and Maria Jose Marin, was notified that they were out of position multiple times during their second round,” the statement said.

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“While being timed, Davis received her first bad time after playing her second stroke on hole No. 5 and received her second bad time following her second stroke on hole No. 17. She was subsequently assessed a one-stroke penalty, which was applied on hole No. 17.”

She went on to card a six-over-par 78 which took her to four-over-par for the tournament, when a score of three-over-par would’ve seen her make the cut.

This is the second time that Davis has fallen foul of the rules when playing at the prestigious amateur event in Georgia which Rose Zhang won last year.

At last year’s ANWA, Davis was given two two-shot penalties after she lifted, cleaned and replaced her ball in the rough on the 1st hole in the first round and she did the same thing after her second shot to the green.

The rules said that players could only use preferred lies in areas that were cut to the fairway or less.

Davis’ playing partner Woad led the ANWA after two rounds on five-under-par, two shots clear of Gianna Clemente. The first three rounds are played at Champions Retreat while the final round is played at Augusta National.

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