Carla Bernat Escuder bolsters Spain’s rich Augusta National legacy

AUGUSTA, Ga. — No country outside the United States has produced more Masters winners than Spain.

Seve Ballesteros started the trend in the early ’80s before passing the baton to José María Olazábal. Sergio Garcia followed in their footsteps with a breakthrough victory in 2017, and then, six years later, it was Jon Rahm’s turn. Cocina española has become common fare at the annual Champions Dinner.

At the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Carla Bernat Escuder continued Spain’s tradition of excellence on the storied course. With three consecutive rounds of 68 (two at Champions Retreat, one at Augusta National), the 21-year-old posted 12 under par to win what arguably has become the biggest title in women’s amateur golf by a stroke over 16-year-old Asterisk Talley.

Bernat Escuder became the first Spanish woman to stand atop the podium on the most famous stage in golf.

“Hopefully it doesn’t stay like that, because I want more Spaniards to get here and keep pushing our country up and up,” she said. “Hopefully I’m not the last one.”

Given her compatriots’ track record here, that seems unlikely.

Entering the final round at Augusta National, the top of the leaderboard was stacked.

Lottie Woad, the 2024 champion, once again found herself with the 36-hole lead. Kiara Romero, a former U.S. Girls Junior champ, joined her in the final pairing. Two other American stars — Megha Ganne and Talley — were also within striking distance, teeing off in front of a massive gallery just before 10 a.m. The penultimate pairing, however, went through their warm-ups with little fanfare.

While the patrons surrounding the 1st tee cheered the defending champ and the trio of young Americans, Bernat Escuder and her countrywoman, Andrea Revuelta, did not receive the same support. Despite being just a stroke out of the lead, the Spaniards started the day as an afterthought.

“I felt like an underdog,” Bernat Escuder said. “But I wasn’t looking at the people that [were] behind me. I was looking at the winners, the ones on top of the leaderboard, because that’s how it helps me play better.”

That strategy paid off. Bernat Escuder got off to a perfect start going par-birdie on the opening two holes. A bogey at the long par-3 4th briefly stalled her momentum, but she bounced back with a birdie on No. 5. She took advantage of the par-5 8th, adding another circle to the card, before almost holing out for eagle on the 9th. When Bernat Escuder cleaned up her short birdie look there, she turned for the inward half alone atop the leaderboard at 11 under.

“One of my friends that is here, he told me the tournament is going to win [at] 12 under,” Bernat Escuder said later. “I just tried to play a pretty good nine holes.”

There’s an old cliche about the Masters that says the tournament doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday. Bernat Escuder admitted that adage was ringing in her head as she stood on the 10th tee box. At Augusta National, no lead is safe. Just ask Greg Norman. Or Jordan Spieth. Or Bailey Shoemaker. Despite all the hard work to climb to the top of the leaderboard, Bernat Escuder knew her advantage could evaporate in an instant.

Her first shot on 10 left her in fine position, but her approach was a little loose. As a natural drawer, she started the ball right of the green and hoped to watch it swoop back left. Instead, it drifted right, eventually settling right of the greenside bunker.

“I knew the tournament started on No. 10,” she said. “So when I hit the second shot on No. 10, I was like, damn.”

There are at least two traits that Spanish golfers tend to share in common. First, they’re typically fiery competitors. Second, they play an inventive brand of golf. Seve may be the godfather of creative golf, but he can count plenty of his countrymen and women as disciples.

“Obviously this place is special for us,” said Olazabal, who was on property Saturday. “It’s a golf course that demands a lot of distance control with your irons and a good short game. Spaniards in general, we manage to have good hands.”

If Bernat Escuder hoped to continue her momentum from the front nine into the closing stretch she would need to channel every bit of her creativity right of the green on 10. The ball nestled down in the rough on a side slope with a deep bunker between her and her target. Worse yet, once her ball did find the putting surface, the wicked tilt of the surface would repel it away from the cup.

The young Spaniard knew she would be required to pull off a shot like this. Her close friend and countryman, reigning U.S. Amateur champ Josele Ballester, had told her just as much. In preparation for the event, the two had worked together to add a high, soft flop to Bernat Escuder’s arsenal.

“I actually thought about it on that shot,” Bernat Escuder said. “I was like, if there was one shot that you’re going to need the hands back to hit it higher, as he tells me, it’s this one. So yeah, I appreciate that tip.”

Bernat Escuder executed the shot to perfection. Although her ball finished some 15 feet from the hole, she’d done well just to keep the ball on the green. A few moments later, she rolled her par attempt into the center of the cup and let out an emphatic fist pump.

Ballester wasn’t onsite Saturday — he was roughly 150 miles west, at the Golf Club of Georgia — but he was anxiously following the action as his friend contended for the title. Although he is preparing for a competition of his own at Augusta National (he earned a Masters bid by way of his U.S. Am win), he could not resist stepping away to cheer on his old friend.

“We went to high school together for the last three years before coming to the States,” Ballester told GOLF.com. “We used to practice every day and go to class together, so we developed a really good relationship. It’s really special to see someone so close to you compete on such a big stage.”

With the near-disaster of the 10th hole in her rearview mirror, Bernat Escuder played flawless golf through Amen Corner and into the closing stretch, adding birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to extend her lead. A late stumble on the 17th closed the gap between her and Talley to one, but when Bernat Escuder found the green with her approach on the par-4 uphill finisher, all she needed for the title was a two-putt.

Bernat Escuder’s lag from the top shelf of the green stopped four feet above the hole, but when presented with the most pressure-packed of her life, she calmly rolled the ball into the cup to secure her place in history.

“It’s hard to describe with words,” she said. “But I was just so happy and relieved that I made the putt.”

When the putt dropped, Bernat Escuder could not longer contain her emotions. Tears flowed from her eyes as she embraced her caddie, and the patrons showered her with applause. She may have begun the day as an afterthought, but after posting 12 under — the lowest total in tournament history — Bernat Escuder could be ignored no longer.

“It feels amazing,” she said. “Right now I don’t think my brain has processed that I won.”

As the latest Spaniard to find success at Augusta, Bernat Escuder was quick to give a nod to those who blazed the trail before her. One of those forbearers, Olazábal, was waiting for her outside the scoring area.

“He was just saying, congratulations and that he watched some of the golf that I played today,” she said. “It means everything because he’s such a symbol for Spain.”

And now, so, too, is Bernat Escuder.