It’s time once again for one of the premier amateur events on the calendar.
Wednesday marked the first round of the 2024 Augusta National Golf Club at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Georgia, with players doing their best to position themselves on top of the leaderboard. Italian Francesca Fiorellini, who was in the first group off, shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to take the early lead.
Fiorellini has a deep resume and has played in many of the biggest events in Italy and Europe, and she’s a name fans in the United States will get to know soon.
Here are five things to know about Francesca Fiorellini after her opening round at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Francesca Fiorellini of Italy plays her stroke from the No. 11 tee during round one of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Photo: Chloe Knott/Augusta National)
The 18-year-old will begin her freshman year at UCLA in the fall. She’s one of two Bruins in the field this week, including junior Zoe Campos, who has won three of her four last collegiate starts.
Francesca Fiorellini of team Europe tees off on the 1st hole during the Day Three of the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 28, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
At the Junior Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Fiorellini came back from 2 down with two holes to play, holing a putt from 25 feet to tie the final match in front of a raucous home crowd. She also won a foursome match and fourball match to help Europe to its first victory over the U.S. in seven years. She also represented Italy in the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi last year.
Francesca Fiorellini of Italy plays her second stroke from the No. 12 fairway during round one of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Photo: Chloe Knott/Augusta National)
In March, she won the Italian Women’s Match Play for the third time in the past four years. She was also the stroke-play medalist.
Francesca Fiorellini of Italy lines up a putt on the No. 12 green during round one of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Photo: Chloe Knott/Augusta National)
Playing in the ANWA for the first time, she’s also the only Italian in the field.
Also this year, Fiorellini reached the Round of 16 in the Spanish Women’s Amateur. In 2023, she won both the Italian Women’s Amateur and Italian Women’s Match Play, recorded top 10s in the Portuguese Women’s Amateur, Spanish Women’s Amateur, European Ladies’ Amateur in Sweden and World Junior Girls Championship in Canada and reached the Round of 16 in the Women’s Amateur Championship in England.
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