Left-handed Amateur standout Anna Davis earned a sponsorship to play her first LPGA event this week at the Palos Verdes Championship. At 16-years-old, she quickly made a name for herself after becoming the youngest winner of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and receiving a shoutout from Tiger Woods on Twitter.
Previously, Anna won the Girls Junior PGA Championship and played on the U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team last year; however, her victory at the ANWA tournament and her bucket hat caught the golf world's attention.
Davis said, "I didn't expect to play an LPGA event at such a young age, so it's very exciting. It's been one of my goals for a really long time." When Anna was younger, she looked up to Alexa Pano and Megha Ganne. "Now I have girls on Instagram DMing me and asking me questions. It's cute. I'm glad that I can be that person now," she said.
Anna plans to continue to sport a bucket hat this week after going viral on social media. She explained, "Back in July at the Girls PGA, it was a big thing. It was kind of my thing. And then during the fall and winter, I didn't wear one, but they're back in season."
Davis attributes her composure on the golf course to her experience playing Junior golf and having a good mentality. She said, "You can't take it too seriously to the point where you're just getting mad on the golf course. It's supposed to be fun. You have to treat it that way."
Last year, Stephan Hamblin, Executive Director of the American Junior Golf Association, watched Davis play in the Wyndham Cup, where she made ten birdies.
He said, "She's just got an ‘It’ factor where she hits the ball extremely straight with a little five-yard draw. (Anna's) not afraid of ten birdies or afraid of shooting as low as she possibly can. There's something in her mental makeup. Call it confidence. Call it whatever you want, but she's got it."
True to her reputation, Anna seems confident entering competitions against the top women in the world while completing her sophomore year of high school online. She nonchalantly said, "I have the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey in a few weeks; then I have the U.S. Open, and then I have the Evian and the British Open."
Hamblin said, "I've seen a lot of very talented young men and women come through the AJGA. And every once in a while, you see something that's very special. And that's what I see in Anna. I saw that with Tiger and Phil. They just have something. You can't teach it. There's something special there. And I think she's got it."
Given her young age and capability, Anna has the potential to become the best left-handed swinger in women's professional golf over the next decade. Unlike baseball and tennis, there aren't many left-handers in the game.
Davis said, "When I was 2 or 3 years old, I used to do everything left-handed, but just as my parents were about to get me golf clubs, I started doing everything right-handed. "They were, like, what? Still, they got me left-handed clubs."
Anna grew up playing golf in competitive battles with her twin brother, Billy. She said, "Playing golf with him has been a huge advantage for my game, I would say. There would be temper tantrums on the golf course, and we would fight. As we grew older, it turned into a friendly competition."
Davis added, “Billy’s so good. He doesn't get to practice as much as I do, but I would say he's probably better than I am.” She joked, “For confidence, we'll say he's not.”
Whether that’s true or not, all eyes are on Anna this week as she enters the LPGA Tour field for the first time, especially college recruits. Davis has alluded that she plans to play college golf but doesn't have any schools in mind.
She said, "I've thought about it, but we'll see. Anything can happen in two years. I'm just seeing what plays out this summer."