Past meets present at Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The more you play this game, the better you get, at times.
It also helps if you have someone who knows the game like the back of their hand, carrying your bags.
“It was like a no-brainer for me,” said Phoebe Brinker, with the Duke Women’s Golf Team. “I just love spending time with her. Regardless of being like my golf coach my whole life, she’s just had such a positive impact on me always so it’s great to have her on the bag.”
Brinker is playing in her fourth Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship and for the last three years, her aunt has followed along the footpaths.
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This year, she’s shouldering her bag and trying to make life easier on her at Champions Retreat.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Suzy Whaley, Brinker’s aunt. “I think I’m the one who said, ‘I’ll caddy for you, ’ and she goes, ‘that’s great,’ so I think it was probably my idea to start. But, you know, I can kind of keep her out of trouble zones, just with some knowledge about the course.”
Whaley has quite the resume through the last few decades, including being an LPGA golfer, the first woman to be elected as president of PGA of America in 2018, and is currently a PGA Master Professional.
Nothing about that is more special than getting to be right by her niece this week.
“I just think it’s a moment in time where I wouldn’t trade it to be able to look back on this and say, I walked these fairways with her,” said Whaley.
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“It means so much. She is just an incredible role model for her family and how family should operate and be,” said Brinker. “She has been so ive of me throughout my whole life, whether it’s golf or not.”
Brinker says she hasn’t played much golf recently.
She fired a 3-over round of 75 on Wednesday, giving her a chance to make the cut and play the weekend.
“I want her to play without fear,” said Whaley. “I want her to realize how brave she is to be here and just go for it. So we had a little motto today thats play like you’re 12, and that’s what we did, and, we’re going to do that again tomorrow.”
Some incredibly high-level golf being played, and we’re in for an incredible second round on Thursday.
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