Women's golf thrust into a welcome spotlight

Kupcho made history with her win at the Augusta National - the home of the Masters

As Augusta moments go, Jennifer Kupcho's successful birdie putt across the final green was right up there.

Within seconds of the 21-year-old from Wake Forest completing the 67 that gave her a four-stroke victory, she was drenched in champagne. That famous old 18th green had never seen the like before.

And those bubbles provided a fittingly celebratory mood for what seemed a breakthrough day for women's golf.

Because, not only did the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur prove a big hit, on the other side of the world the Jordan Mixed Open at the Ayla Golf Club showed a combined male and female tournament can also work.

Britain's Meghan MacLaren was second in a field where members of the Ladies European Tour took on their counterparts from the Challenge and seniors' circuits.

Here at Augusta there was no wiping the smile from the faces all 30 of the golfers who emerged from the first two days of competition to be able play the final round at the home of the men's Masters.

Large galleries followed the action, generating a more genteel but, at times, equally passionate atmosphere to the one witnessed when a green jacket is up for grabs.

The players commanded huge respect. Powerful drives were accompanied by cries of "wow" and "good grief" as the young amateurs seized their first opportunity to compete on this celebrated course.

There was a sense of history being made at a club which did not admit female members until only seven years ago. Yes, this was not a women's Masters, but it was a significant step for a sport that, at long last, is starting to recognise the value of diversity.

"I've played in big crowds before, Curtis Cups and things like that but even when we were hitting tee-shots out there we were getting applauded," Northern Ireland's Olivia Mehaffy told BBC Sport.

"And you could hear the people around being like 'whoa!' Maybe they weren't aware of what we can do.

"I mean we hit it far, we hit it good and we can hit those shots around the greens and hole those putts. I think it's very special for them to get to witness that."

Mehaffey, who shot a four-over-par 76 to finish 23rd, said the process of making it through the first two rounds at the nearby Champions Retreat course had been utterly nerve-wracking.

"I've never felt that kind of pressure," she said. "You play week in, week out to make the cut and that's a normal thing but to play for the cut and have this on the other side that was just a completely different ball game."

Mehaffey added: "This is huge, it opens up so many doors."

She was one of two UK players to make the final 30 able to play the closing round at Augusta. Berkhamstead's Alice Hewson carded a level-par 72 despite double bogeying the last to finish in a share of 10th place.

"I had a really great time out there," the 21-year-old told me. "The atmosphere was incredible.

"It's a really, really great opportunity and no one else was going to get that chance to be in the first 30 women to play here. I'm really, really grateful that I was able to be out here this week and play well."

The highlight was holing a lengthy birdie putt at the par-five 15th. "That was just incredible," she said.

"The roars coming from those who could see it on 16, all down the 15th fairway and having my whole family here to be able to watch was also really good. It was from off the green too, so it was maybe 25, 30 feet."

Hewson plans to turn professional later this year and her Augusta experience should stand her in good stead. "I think it is a great confidence builder and a good building block for what is to come," she said.

England's Meghan MacLaren finished second as Daan Huizing claimed a two-shot victory at the Jordan Mixed Open

Next year she could be taking her place in a field where she will be up against male counterparts. The Jordan Mixed Open suggests there is some mileage in the idea of putting men and women in the same tournaments.

Fears that an equitable course set-up might prove impossible were allayed with a pretty equal spread of players making the cut from the three constituencies that made up the field.

At one stage MacLaren held a five-stroke lead but was hunted down on the back nine by the men's Challenge Tour player Daan Huizing.

The LET and the oldies from the Staysure Tour, through Jose Coceres, were both represented in the top four.

MacLaren, a vehement advocate for the women's game, certainly let her clubs do the talking. At 14 under par she was seven shots ahead of any of the other female competitors.

This has been a weekend in which women's golf has been thrust into a welcome spotlight. The irony is that it has been not been done through the first major of the year, the ANA Inspiration, which still has one day to go.