Jacksonville's Kaitlyn Schroeder will continue magical run at Augusta Women's Amateur

Kaitlyn Schroeder knew that winning the 2022 Girls Junior PGA was one of the qualifications for an invitation to the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

But it's not official until that letter with an Augusta National Golf Club return address arrives. That arrived at the Schroeder household last month and the excitement -- and the preparations -- started building for the tournament, which will be March 29-April 1.

Augusta National announced the final field on Wednesday, led by defending champion Anna Davis.

"We knew that I had met one of the requirements to get invited, winning the Junior PGA," said Schroeder, a freshman at Alabama. "But I didn't want to assume until I got the letter [which came to her home via UPS, and was then sent by her parents to Tuscaloosa]. I've grown up watching the Masters and the first three Augusta Women's Amateurs. I've never foot on Augusta National before. I'm really excited that the first time I see the course, I'll be able to play it."

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Schroeder will be the second First Coast resident to play in the ANWA. Nease graduate and Vanderbilt player Auston Kim tied for 25th in 2021 and missed the cut last season. She was invited to the 2020 tournament that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first two rounds of the ANWA will be March 29-30 at the Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta and aired on Golf Channel (1:30-3:30 p.m.).

The field of 72 players will be cut to the low 30, plus ties, and play the final round on April 1 at Augusta National, five days before the first round of the Masters Tournament. That round will be on NBC (12-3 p.m.).

But every player in the field still gets a chance to play Augusta National. A practice round will be held March 31 for those who made and missed the cut.

"You want to be able to play Augusta National for the final round," she said. "But that's a great consolation prize if you don't make the cut, to still be able to play the course."

Schroeder said the holes she's most looking forward to are at Amen Corner -- the par-3 12th hole and the par-3 13th hole.

Also getting excited is her father, University of North Florida golf coach Scott Schroeder. He has caddied for his daughter in numerous junior and amateur tournaments at some of the nation's best golf courses and the good news is the Ospreys don't have a tournament scheduled for that weekend.

"It's going to be a really cool experience," Schroeder said.

The decision participants in the Augusta Women's Amateur have to make is whether to bring their own caddies or use one of the club's caddies. The club caddies know the subtle breaks of the Augusta National greens but it also comes down to trust, and who would a player trust more than their own father?

Schroeder said he has a lot of resources to tap.

"I know a lot of guys who have played and caddie at Augusta and I'll be making some phone calls," he said. "But I know Kaitlyn's game better than anyone and she'll have the trust in me, and be more comfortable than with someone she's just met."

Schroeder said it was never an issue.

"I put more trust in my dad than I do in myself sometimes," she said. "It might be really helpful to have someone on the bag who knows the greens but I think it's more important to have him with me."

Kaitlyn will have another source of help: Crimson Tide teammate Benedetta Moresco played the ANWA last year and tied for fourth.

"It's going to be really helpful to talk to someone who's been through that experience," she said.

Schroeder said his daughter's game might be more suited than many of the other competitors. Kaitlyn has a good combination of length and a high ball flight, helpful in setting up short irons into the firm greens.

"For a woman she hits it pretty high," Schroeder said. "That's what you need to stop the ball on those greens. The biggest adjustment might be playing all those slopes and a hilly course but she's not playing flat, Florida courses now. She's getting experience with different elevations in Alabama."

Schroeder also said she plays better on courses where par is a treasured asset and pointed out that the last two ANWA winning scores were 1-under (Davis) and 1-over (Tsubasa Kajitani), with cuts of 5-over and 6-over.

"I don't make a lot of mistakes and I generally do better on courses where par is your friend," she said.

Also giving her optimism is that Davis was 16 and Kajitani 17 when they won.

"I think there's a fine line between really good junior golf and college golf," she said. "Everyone in this field, no matter how young they are, can have a good week and contend."

Playing in the ANWA is just one more huge moment in Schroeder's golfing life in the past year. In addition to winning the Junior PGA, she won two AJGA events and finished the season first on the Polo rankings, earning player of the year honors -- the second First Coast junior to earn the AJGA's top award, 33 years after David Duval won in 1989.

She enrolled at Alabama in January and is being red-shirted.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Kaitlyn Schroeder counting down the days until Augusta Women's Amateur