After Delay, DU’s Zanusso Plays in the “Masters Before the Masters”

After a slow start to the season, the Pioneers’ sophomore sensation hopes to peak at Augusta National.

By Anthony Cotton

Two years ago, when Augusta National Golf Club announced its first annual Women’s Amateur tournament, with participants playing the final round on the same course that hosts the Masters, Lindsay Kuhle knew that she had to be there.

“Being a big supporter of women’s golf, I wanted to see what it was like and how they handled everything,” said Kuhle, who coaches the women’s team at the University of Denver.

As it turned out, Kuhle got to witness another Coloradan, Jennifer Kupcho, win the inaugural event, an experience she described as “pretty cool.” But on Tuesday, Kuhle’s emotions were ratcheted up tenfold, as she boarded a flight at Denver International Airport to return to Georgia. Making a return trip to the ANWA, there’ll be a little bit more on the line for Kuhle, as one of her players, Anna Zanusso, is included in the field.

“It’s even more special when you have a member of your family participating,” Kuhle said. “It’s incredibly exciting.”

For Zanusso, it is the realization of a dream deferred. The native of Castelfranco Veneto, Italy (about 25 miles northwest of Venice)  was invited to play in the 2020 tournament, but lost the opportunity when the tournament was cancelled because of the novel coronavirus and global pandemic. At the time, Zanusso said she wasn’t certain whether she would receive a second invitation, but in January came word that she as indeed back in the 82-player field.

(Originally slated for 85 players, the field was reduced after three players from Texas, including Kaitlyn Papp, who tied for ninth at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, had to withdraw because of positive COVID-19 tests)

“I’m just really happy I got the chance to go back, super happy,” she said. “I can’t wait now that it’s finally going to happen…Wow…I’m already getting nervous, but I just think it’s going to be an amazing experience.”

And there are any number of things that will heighten those sensations for Zanusso—besides Kuhle, her rooting section will include her father as well as her coach from back home in Italy. Perhaps more importantly, Zanusso’s game may be peaking just in time for the event. Coming off a freshman season in which she won two tournaments while posting a scoring average of 71.63, a new single-season scoring record for the Pioneers (including an NCAA record-tying 61 (11-under) in one event), expectations were high for Zanusso coming into this season. Thus far she has been unable to match the heights attained a year ago; in eight rounds this season, Zanusso has a 75.3 scoring average. While Kuhle points out that part of the issue lies with a balky putter, particularly when it comes to lagging the ball close to the hole, there are also other issues at play.

“She had only been at DU for five months before the pandemic hit, so in many ways I still consider this as her first year here,” Kuhle said. “She’s still learning how to balance the studying and going to classes, the working out and the traveling and playing in tournaments.”

And there are indications that things may indeed be coming around. Zanusso was tied for 42th at a tournament last weekend in Arizona, and while the finish wasn’t great, she was encouraged but he fact that she improved her score in each of the three rounds, playing at one-over-73 on the final day, two-under for her last seven holes.

“I’ve gone almost a full year without playing in tournaments in the United States,” said Zanusso, who did register a runner-up finish in the Italian Ladies Match Play Championship in Europe last July. “It’s not that I’ve forgotten how to play really good golf; it’s just hard to have such a long break in between tournaments and come back and be where you were before, when you had that feeling of confidence that you were going to go low.

“With the putting, it’s really just been a matter of touch; that and feeling confident—just seeing more putts going into the hole. And I think I’m feeling more and confident now, so I think the timing is perfect.”

This week, the opening two rounds of the tournament will take place Wednesday and Thursday at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, with Zanusso teeing off at 6:29 a.m. on Wednesday (through the first 11 holes of Round 1, Zanusso was tied for 23rd place at 1-over-par). While the top 30 players will make the cut and advance to the final round, the entire field will still get the opportunity to play on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National though, participating in a practice round on Friday.

The final round will be on Saturday; to help her chances of getting there, Zanusso is planning on using one of the caddies from Augusta National, counting on that experience to help guide her around the course. She also has received some tips from Kupcho, the two players texting a number of times since Zanusso received her initial invitation.

“She told me to hit a lot of long irons when I practice for the tournament because the course is so long that that’s what you you’ll be hitting into a lot of the greens,” Zanusso said. “And she talked of course about focusing on the speed of the greens.”

With that knowledge (and momentum) on her side, Zanusso says she’s set a goal making the cut and playing in Saturday’s final round. But she adds that even that is a secondary consideration.

“What I really want to do is just enjoy every shot and every moment that I’m out there,” she said.

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