Gianna Clemente passed the audition.
The part-time Estero 15-year-old finished tied for 14th out of 71 golfers the Augusta National Women’s Amateur held last week. The 31 players who made the cut played the final round Saturday at Augusta National, the same course the Masters will be played on this week.
Clemente was the youngest player to receive an invitation to the prestigious event. She shot four over par for the tournament with rounds of 74, 69 and 76.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” said Patrick Clemente, Gianna’s father and caddy. “I guess you can say it was fun, exciting.”
Clemente has played in three LPGA events and some of the biggest junior golf events, but nothing like the Augusta amateur.
“I wanted to see how she handled all that, the schedule, the media, the pressure," her dad said. "You know, certainly wanting to play well almost trumps the scoring you actually shoot a little bit in my book.”
Clemente had to overcome a three-hour rain delay on Saturday.
“It was very difficult conditions,” her dad said. The course went from windy and the greens firm to slower greens after the rain.
Only three of the 31 players shot under par on Saturday.
Clemente never made a putt over 3 /12 to 4 feet, he said.
“The greens are hard to read, we knew that would happen. We didn’t have the local knowledge,' he said.
Patrick Clemente preached to his daughter to stay present and enjoy the moment, but he had to take his own advice.
He said it wasn’t easy staying in the moment as a caddy while walking holes 11, 12 and 13, known as Amen Corner.
“As a golf nut my entire life and be on the bag and try to stay present as a caddy and then go through Amen Corner though and not lose track of things that is difficult,” he said. But I certainly appreciated every moment.”
Clemente always says he can’t be a dad when he is his daughter’s caddy. He has to separate the two, but he admitted he was more dad than caddy walking up the 18th fairway at Augusta.
“The best moment was walking up 18th with her,” he said.
His daughter, speaking to her hometown newspaper, The Vindicator, in Warren, Ohio, reiterated her dad's thoughts: "
“Walking up 18 with my Dad, that was really special,” the Warren native said. “Just to be able to — we’ve talked about it for so long and we’ve seen it on TV so many times that it’s really special to walk up that fairway with my Dad. That’s definitely going to be a lasting memory.”
The Clementes haven’t decided if Gianna will play in the Italian International Women’s Amateur Open this month in Fiano, Italy. One thing for sure is she will get her driving learner’s permit this month.
She will be busy in May, playing in the U.S. Women’s Qualifier in Naples in May and an amateur event in Seattle.
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