South Carolina’s Hannah Darling smiles through Top 10 finish at Augusta National
It’s not that Hannah Darling suffered bad breaks. She couldn’t catch a break.
The University of South Carolina golfer, competing in the final round of her third Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday, was not eaten alive by America’s most famous golf course. She was not overmatched. Not outwitted. Not even outplayed.
The USC junior just couldn’t make a putt. Heading to the 18th hole Saturday, Darling had collected 10 consecutive pars. She was steady, which isn’t exactly the goal when you come into the day four shots off the lead.
Which led us to No. 18. Darling — the 19th-ranked women’s amateur in the world — was out of the mix. Florida State’s Lottie Woad won the tournament at 8-under while Darling finished at 1-under (seventh place). So Darling stood over her final-hole tee shot with a wood in her hand. It would be kind to say she mishit the ball, which never got above 3 feet off the ground and hit in front of the fairway.
“Yes,” she said, “it was an awful golf shot.”
Following that “awful golf shot,” though, Darling bent down to pick up her tee, looked at her caddie and she was … smiling? Smiling! She was grinning ear to ear, seconds after a knock that had patrons feeling good about themselves.
“Just laugh it off,” she said, “and at the end of the day, get over it.”
This past year has tested the psyche of the 20-year-old Scot. For most of her life, she was only concerned with the results, which isn’t a problem when you’re always winning. It becomes very easy to attach success to trophies and failure to everything else. There comes a point, though, when the pressure is too much. When you expect everything to be perfect, nothing is.
After competing in last year’s ANWA (placing 27th) and later tying for eighth in the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, Darling’s junior campaign began with bumps. Through mid-February, she hadn’t placed in the Top 10 of a single tournament.
“I was at a lower point mentally a year ago, and that’s how my results weren’t coming almost,” she said. “I feel like, when you’re not playing your best, all you can think about is not playing well and results not being there.”
Her goal was to shift from results-driven to process-driven. Don’t worry about the missed putts. Don’t fret over the muffed drives. Heck, don’t worry about the next shot. Don’t worry about the next year, about what comes when college golf is over. Don’t worry about anything other than the here and now.
“It’s going to be a really big thing for me to just keep remembering that going forward,” Darling noted. “And controlling the things that I can control.”
She works with a psychologist in Scotland. She’s also been instructed for years by Ian Muir, the director of golf at the University of St. Andrews, which made Darling likely one of the very few 18-year-olds to play the two cathedrals of golf: St. Andrews Links and Augusta National. In late February, when Darling seemingly couldn’t get over the hump, Muir flew to Columbia.
She admits they didn’t change anything. No major swing overhaul or new putting grip. Just “tightening the screws.” But tightening the screws with a familiar face and a steady voice can boost confidence. Three weeks later, at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Darling won for the first time as a college golfer.
“It helped a lot mentally,” she said of her coach’s visit.
Darling has higher aspirations than playing golf for fun. She led the ANWA after the first day, shooting a 6-under round at Champions Retreat Golf Club before lousy wind led to a 5-over round on Thursday.
Two thoughts can form in a golfer’s mind after that. One: Why was I so terrible on Thursday? Two: If I shot 6-under once, I can do it again. That is part of maturity, part of the growth of a young golfer. Take your lumps, stick with it and don’t spoil a good walk.
On Saturday at Augusta National in front of thousands, Darling was playing phenomenally and scoring miserably. She started the day in the hunt and never really broke into contention, which could have been agonizing.
Walking alongside her all afternoon were her South Carolina coaches and teammates as well as her family, who traveled 4,000 miles from Scotland to Augusta to watch Darling compete. On the 17th hole, her father, David, tried to be a voodoo doll for her daughter’s ball, shifting his weight right as Darling’s putt broke left.
He winced at the miss, then regrouped as she tapped in.
“Well done, Hannah,” he shouted.
After the round, after a disappointing score, Darling did not sulk. She didn’t even want to think back to all the putts that looked so good but stayed up. She wanted to think about the positive.
She walked the most beloved course in America, the one most mortals would fork over thousands to simply set foot on. She did it with a vast gallery and her parents walking with her.
After she wrapped up her interview, a green jacket approached Darling with a question.
“Hannah,” he said, “would you like a picture with your family?”
Darling grinned once more.
“I would love a picture.”
ANWA scores: How SC connections fared
- 7th: Hannah Darling (USC junior; Scotland) // -1 (Even on the day)
- 24th: Louise Rydqvist (USC junior; Sweden) // +5 (+6 on the day)
- T8th: Eila Galitsky (USC commitment; Thailand) // +1 (+2 on the day)
- Missed Cut: Jensen Castle (Kentucky senior; West Columbia, ) // +9
- Missed cut: Annabelle Pancake (Clemson senior; Zionsville, Indiana) // +7
This story was originally published April 6, 2024 at 6:00 PM.
