Beth Coulter suspected a scam when the call came, but on Wednesday she will tee it up in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).
After missing the first round of invitations in January, the 21-year-old had nearly given up hope. Then, at the WM Phoenix Open, minutes after celebrating a hole-in-one at the 16th, her phone rang with the invite she’d coveted.
“It was weird. The first set of invites came out in the second week of January, and I was really, really close with how the exemptions were going to work. Some people thought I’d get in, but I didn’t get anything that week,” explains Coulter, fresh off two team victories with Arizona State as well as finishes of 2nd and 5th individually.
“So I thought maybe I wouldn’t be invited. After a while, I forgot about it, but I knew more invites would come later, so I was still clinging to a bit of hope. We were at the WM Phoenix Open in this suite on the 16th hole.
“This number kept ringing me, and in America, you get so many spam calls. I looked at my call history and saw it said ‘Augusta’ where the call was coming from.
“So I rang back, and it was, ‘Hey, it’s Matt Williams from Augusta,’ and I was like, ‘Oh s**t.’ I thought he was just going to say I’m a reserve, but no, I got the invite. We’d just witnessed a hole-in-one on 16 five minutes before, so we were all going nuts again. Everyone was celebrating and congratulating me in the suite –it was really cool.
“I called my parents right away, and they were really happy. It’s so cool.”
Golf isn’t a family tradition for Coulter—she picked it up in primary school and hasn’t looked back. A keen camogie player with her local club, Ballygalget, she adapted quickly.Now, she’ll share Augusta with her parents.
“It’s going to be really special for my parents too, because they’re not golfers. Seeing the relief on their faces and them getting to do it too is really cool,” she says ahead of being the fourth Irishwoman to compete there.
“It’s a golfer’s paradise. Even just to play there is amazing. Experiencing the course so close to the Masters, seeing how it plays in those conditions –it’s unbelievable. Even if I miss the cut, you still get to play it, so just experiencing it will be unreal. It’s been a huge goal of mine for the last three or four years, so ticking it off the bucket list is class.”
The ANWA, in its sixth year from April 2–5, has crowned stars like Jennifer Kupcho (2019) and Tsubasa Kajitani (2021), the latter kickstarting a historic April in 2021, capturing the first title for Japan at Augusta National eight days before Hideki Matsuyama’s Masters win. Could a landmark first Irish victory from Coulter pave the way for Rory McIlroy or Shane Lowry a week later?
Last year, England’s Lottie Woad, world number one and Coulter’s Curtis Cup teammate, won with a late birdie barrage.
“She’s insane, but so normal and fun to be around,” Coulter says. “She’s so casual about her golf, even though she’s world number one. It’s mad to think we were both reserves for the Curtis Cup before the one we played, and now she’s transformed her game –world number one, Curtis Cup, winning major events, everything she’s done.
“I’ve already spoken to a few people about it. There are alumni like Paul Casey and Carlota Ciganda, so leaning on them is cool. Obviously, Lottie’s won there, so it’ll be easy to pick up a tip or two from her in practice.”
Coulter’s Augusta journey spans four years. A 2021 British Girls final loss to Hannah Darling–who’d already qualified–left her empty-handed. But her Arizona State career, with three top-10s before Christmas and a Clover Cup runner-up finish, pushed her into the world top 50.
“I played the British Am against Hannah Darling in 2021, and the winner got a spot, but she’d already qualified. It was so disappointing when I came second –I thought I’d get that spot. Ever since, it’s been a long four years to get my WAGR low enough to get in,” she recalls.
“I told my coach at the start of the season my goal was to play at Augusta in April. I knew I’d have to play really well in the autumn and rack up top-10s. I got three to bring my WAGR down. I’ve got friends and family coming over. It’s a long stretch of golf –we are be mid-way through five weeks of events – so ending at Augusta will be amazing.”
The ANWA marks a coming of age for Coulter, who turned 21 just before. Within 12 months, she’ll have played the Curtis Cup and ANWA, joining Irish greats like Leona and Lisa Maguire, Olivia Mehaffey, and Lauren Walsh.
“It’s huge. The talk around it, the buzz –everyone’s fighting over tickets and who gets to go,” she says. “We only get eight tickets and three VIPs, so everyone wants in –coaches too. It’s massive. I don’t know the feel back home, but it’s crazy over here.Playing the Curtis Cup and ANWA in a year is really special. When I started, looking up to Leona, Lisa, and Olivia doing those things, I wanted to tick them off too. Being the first in a while to do it will be cool.”
As for her future, the world number 49 plans to stay amateur a bit longer, with the 2026 Curtis Cup in Los Angeles on her radar –aiming to be the first Irish amateur to play on both a home and away winning Great Britain and Ireland team.
“I’m going to finish college. I’ll wait for the Curtis Cup in LA, then see if I turn pro in the winter. I want to enjoy my senior year and being 21 in America,” she says.
Long tipped for stardom, she’s a back-to-back winner of the Irish Girls’ Close and cemented her potential in 2022 by winning the Girls’ and Women’s Close titles in the same season and has been a regular on Irish teams since her teens.She’s expected to turn professional within a couple of years, following what could be a golden generation for Irish women’s golf –after Lauren Walsh, Sara Byrne, Anna Foster, and Annabel Wilson all turned pro in the last two seasons.
“It’s really cool. Having those four girls on the LET gives younger girls something to aim for,” beams Coulter.
“Áine [Donegan] will turn pro soon, and the rise has been amazing. We’ve got to commend Golf Ireland for that –the work they’ve put into us since the development squads. It’s a great thing for girls to look up to.
“I grew up with Sara and Áine, so travelling with them on tour will be great. Potentially six or seven girls on the LET is incredible. It shows the direction we’re heading.”
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