When asked how she would celebrate her historic victory at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur last Saturday afternoon, Carla Bernat Escuder had a pretty simple reply – have dinner with her gallery of spectators and maybe hang out to watch some of the Masters Tournament.

But it was the third part of her answer that elicited some giggles from the media in the press building at Augusta National Golf Club, a response that was indicative of the spunky personality that lies beneath her competitive, fiery persona on the golf course.

“Maybe a tattoo,” said Bernat Escuder with a smile. “We'll see. I was thinking maybe the flower of Augusta, but I need to decide on that. It's a big decision.”

An azalea would be more than fitting for the Kansas State University senior to select as her new ink, as her 12-under performance and one-shot victory over Asterisk Talley made her the fifth person and the first woman from Spain to claim a title at Augusta National Golf Club. She joins the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm as Spaniards who have won at the iconic venue, a list that Bernat Escuder was incredibly proud to now be a part of after the final scores were tallied in Augusta, Ga.

“I felt like an underdog from the very beginning of the tournament,” Bernat Escuder said. “But I wasn't looking at the people that were behind me. I was looking at the winners, the ones on top of the leaderboard because that's how it helps me play better.

“I cannot process that I won yet. It's really nice to see that after a cold winter that we had and hard days going to the golf course and showing up, it means everything to win this tournament. It's also such an honor.”

Olazabal was standing by to congratulate Bernat Escuder and welcome her into the Augusta National champions club, impressed by her composure under an immense amount of pressure and excited to see the Spanish cream rise to the top once again in Masters country. Having finished runner-up to Ian Woosnam in 1991 and won two green jackets in 1994 and 1999, Olazabal is more than familiar with the beatific beast nestled in the pine trees off Washington Road and understands just what it’s like to have to try and conquer it for your country coming down the stretch with history on the line.

“It was fantastic to see a Spaniard winning at Augusta again,” Olazabal said to a Golf Channel news crew. “And the way she did it, except on number 10, where she was in trouble, the rest of the back nine, she played really solid, executed the shots. When we finished, I congratulated her, but she told me that the emotions and the nerves were getting the best of her on the last hole, but she handled the pressure really well.

“I think it's fantastic for Spanish golf in general and especially for Spanish women golf. This is a very special event, a very special place, and to be able to succeed in a place like this, it's wonderful. And I believe that she's gonna take a lot of positive things from this day and hopefully will help her in the future.”

If the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is any indication, Bernat Escuder’s future is already looking incredibly bright. She has intentions to turn professional later this year, but those plans might be derailed a bit considering the 21-year-old is now exempt into four of the LPGA Tour’s five major championships, a slate that includes The Chevron Championship, which takes place in just a few weeks in The Woodlands, Texas, the U.S. Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open. Bernat Escuder also earned two points as part of the Tour’s new LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway initiative and currently has four points in the recently-debuted qualification program.

Having those four starts in some of the game’s biggest events is an opportunity that Bernat Escuder just couldn’t pass up, and she hopes to be able to gauge where her game is at compared to the world’s top golfers as she readies herself for life as a professional athlete, an undertaking that can be daunting for someone who doesn’t know what to expect.

But Bernat Escuder isn’t completely inexperienced when it comes to competing in pro events. She teed it up Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana last year on the Ladies European Tour and tied for 14th, a respectable finish in the tournament that was ultimately won by her fellow countrywoman Carlota Ciganda.

However, the LPGA Tour’s Chevron Championship, in which Bernat Escuder is currently committed to play, will be an entirely new experience for the young talent, as she has yet to play on the LPGA Tour. And considering it’s one of the most important tournaments in all of women’s golf, Bernat Escuder is itching to start preparing for her LPGA debut later this month in hopes of riding the momentum she gleaned from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to a solid performance in her first-ever major championship at The Club at Carlton Woods.

“I'm super excited,” Bernat Escuder said on Sunday at Augusta. “I'm almost like, well, that's coming up. I need to go back to practice.”

Spaniard Carla Bernat Escuder Earns Major Exemptions With 2025 ANWA Victory

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