By the time Asterisk Talley reached the 18th hole at Augusta National on Saturday, her story had already been written and the tears were starting to well in her eyes.
The 17-year-old star amateur started the day with a one-shot lead at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur after posting back-to-back bogey-free rounds at Champions Retreat. Through the first nine holes on Saturday, Talley seemed up to the moment. She birdied Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before making the turn in 3-under 33. With nine holes left, Talley’s lead remained slim. But she hadn’t made a bogey at the ANWA since the sixth hole of last year’s final round and had never made a bogey on the back nine at Augusta in her first two trips around the famed course.
Everything seemed to be lined up for Asterisk Talley, whose first name means “Little Star,” to claim one of the biggest prizes in amateur golf.
Then, everything came unraveled.
Talley made a bogey at 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 evaporated. She hit her tee shot over the green and into the bushes. It luckily bounced out of the shrubs and into the back bunker. But Talley said the sand was hard, which kept her from getting a lot of spin on her second shot. She made contact, and the ball raced across the green and into Rae’s Creek. She elected to drop back in the bunker and play the same shot, but she once again ran it through the putting surface and into the water. She made a quadruple bogey 7, and her tournament chase was effectively over. She came home in 42 to shoot a final round 3-over 75 and finish six shots back of Marin.
After Talley tapped in for a closing par, the emotions of an opportunity lost came flooding out.
“I’m just a little emotional,” a teary-eyed Talley said after the round. “Not only because I didn’t get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive. It’s hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today, even though that one hole just kind of got me. Other than that, it doesn’t define me as a golfer. I know what kind of player I am.”
As Talley left the course, Bryson DeChambeau gave her a hug and offered words of encouragement. DeChambeau’s Augusta National demons are well-documented. He was the low amateur in 2016, but then struggled to solve the Masters riddle for years, including an 80 and back-to-back missed cuts in 2022 and 2023. Last year, DeChambeau started the final round two shots back of Rory McIlroy and took the lead after the second hole. But the two-time U.S. Open champion quickly faded, and a double bogey at No. 11 and a bogey at 12 sealed his Masters fate.
“He said keep my head high,” 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 embraced Talley after a trying round.
“She said you’re the best,” Talley said. “She said you’re the best player out here. Just don’t let this get to your head. Don’t let it beat you up. You’re still such a good golfer.
“It’s great just coming from her, especially. She was the best player ever. Her telling me I’m the best player out here is pretty special. Again, it goes back to the support I have out here. It’s really nice to just have those people behind me and to have those kind of moments out here, especially when something like that happens.”
A mis-club at the 12th and a poor decision on the drop doomed Talley’s ANWA hopes. But as the Stanford commit made her way home on the back nine at Augusta National, her tournament hopes in tatters, she steadied herself and walked forward with purpose, hoping that her golf could still erase what had just happened. A birdie at the par-5 13th allowed her to exhale, but Talley was unable to conjure up closing magic.
The damage had long been done by the time she hit her tee shot on No. 16 in the water. But Asterisk Talley, while emotional and disappointed, got something out 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. Still just kind of kept my head high heading into the last few holes. It just didn’t work out, but that’s okay.”
Of all those who offered Talley support and shelter after her round ended, it was unsurprisingly Talley’s parents whose message gave her what she needed after watching her ANWA hopes get washed away.
“They just told me that they love me,” Talley said. “It didn’t define me as a player that that happened out there. It’s hard not to get emotional. There’s so much support out here. Sorry. I think it’s harder when there’s support out here watching you do that, but it’s great they’re still with me right now. I’m really happy that they’re here.”
Talley has won big tournaments and had several near-misses. But this scar will be one that she’ll carry. It’s the kind that Augusta National has a reputation for giving the world’s best — one Asterisk Talley will have an opportunity to heal next year when she returns.
But for now, all that remains is the thought of what could’ve been and the painful sting of the dreams that didn’t materialize on Saturday at Augusta National.
“No, definitely not,” Talley said when asked if she had ever hurt like this after a loss. “It just wasn’t my day today. But it’s okay.”
