AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s tough to stand out on a Stanford team featuring five players ranked 27th or better in the world. But Andrea Revuelta, an 18-year-old from Madrid, had built serious momentum heading into 2024, grabbing low-amateur honors at the Spanish Open last December where she tied for fifth.
Then came the freak accident.
Revuelta was working out in January when she tried to re-rack a 40-pound weight plate. Her right shoulder suddenly gave way.
“I looked back and couldn’t see my shoulder,” Revuelta said.
Her shoulder quickly popped back into place, but the injury still sidelined her for months.
Now, as she prepares for Saturday’s final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Revuelta still favors that shoulder slightly. Yet there she is, tied for third with Stanford teammate Megha Ganne and fellow Spaniard Carla Bernat, the Kansas State senior. They’re just one shot behind co-leaders Lottie Woad and Kiara Romero.
“This is such a magical place,” Revuelta said. “I feel like you have to make it your own, and you have to play with your game whatever you think it is.”
For Revuelta, that means elite ball-striking – she’s tied for first in greens hit through 36 holes. Bernat, a two-time second-team All-American last season, has a well-rounded game according to her college coach Stew Burke. That didn’t stop her from seeking chipping advice from countryman Josele Ballester, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion from Arizona State.
Bernat and Ballester grew up as neighbors in Castellon, Spain. They attended the same high school, and when both switched from tennis to golf, they trained under Victor Garcia, father of past Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
“He’s like my brother,” Bernat said of Ballester.
While Ballester makes his Masters debut next week, Bernat is building on her T-17 finish at last year’s ANWA, where she fired a final-round 72 after being the only player to break 70 in tough conditions at Champions Retreat.
Burke calls Bernat the ultimate underdog.
“That’s a mistake a lot of people make,” Burke said. “She never gets on the Annika watch list, and I don’t know why. She’s got that underdog mentality. All her preparation this season has been building to get ready for this event. This is not unexpected. She’s ready to break through.”
Currently ranked 29th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Bernat is riding four straight top-6 finishes, including a T-3 at last week’s Silicon Valley Showcase. Interestingly, she posted identical three-round scores there as Revuelta, who was competing as an individual in her first event back from injury while Stanford’s A-team was maintaining their perfect season at Colonial.
That Silicon Valley event carried extra significance – the host course, Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, California, was designed by Alister Mackenzie, the same architect who designed Augusta National.
“We specifically picked that because of this,” Burke said. “What a way to prepare.”
With Friday’s practice round complete, all that’s left for Revuelta and Bernat is rest before Saturday’s final round.
“I’ve dreamt it a lot, to be honest,” Revuelta said. “I’ve said this speech in my head like probably a thousand times. I feel golf is a game you have to play shot by shot… Thinking that whatever happens, it’s for a reason. You’ve come here with your homework done. I’ve practiced, I know my game, I know I’m ready, and I’m excited to see what tomorrow holds for me.”
Bernat added: “I think I’m going to sleep OK because I can chase instead of be chased in this moment, right? I like chasing more than being chased. I came here to win. I don’t want to think about people behind me, just in front.”
