Apr. 7—AUGUSTA, Ga. — The preliminaries are over. Now the golf world awaits the main event as the 89th Masters Tournament gets underway April 10.

But over the weekend, there was plenty of action as the top female amateurs and younger competitors got a taste of Augusta National Golf Club.

Patrons, meanwhile, got their first glimpse of Augusta National after Tropical Storm Helene caused heavy damage throughout the area six months ago.

Shoppers also were able to get their first crack at coveted Masters merchandise, including the gnome that sells out early each morning.

Here's a recap of the weekend:

Spaniard wins ANWA

During a week of record-breaking low scores at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, it was Carla Bernat Escuder's three consecutive rounds of 4-under-par rounds of 68 that won her the tournament at 12-under overall.

"It feels amazing," she said during the trophy presentation interview. "I feel over the moon. Right now I don't think my brain has processed that I won."

The Spaniard came into the final round at Augusta National 8-under, just one stroke back from leaders Lottie Woad and Kiara Romero. With four birdies and just one bogey on her front nine, she quickly climbed the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Woad's 10-under.

While Bernat Escuder came into the day in the second to last group, just behind the leaders, in her mind she still felt like an underdog.

"From the very beginning of the tournament," she said. "But I wasn't looking at the people that was behind me. I was looking at the winners, the ones on top of the leaderboard, because that's how it helps me play better."

Then Woad double-bogeyed hole 11, giving Bernat Escuder a firm grasp of first place going into her final nine, where she continued to pick up steam.

She said the final nine holes were the most crucial to her win and that she knew from watching past Masters Tournaments she'd need to be locked into those holes for a strong finish.

"I knew the tournament was going to start on No. 10 because I've watched all the Masters," Bernat Escuder said. "As soon as I hit that second shot, I was like, oh, I need to get it together and just get this par, and I dig in, and I think that was the key."

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Kansas State golfer because former Junior Invitational at Sage Valley champion Asterisk Talley was right on her tail with birdies on 16 and 17. Like Bernat Escuder, Talley knew how important those final nine holes are and she knew how to play them to her strengths.

It all came down to the final hole, where Bernat Escuder held just a one-stroke lead. Anything less than par would mean either a playoff against the 16-year-old or a loss.

And consistency has been the name of the game for her all week, so with a par she cemented herself in ANWA history as the sixth winner of the prestigious title and the first from Spain.

"It's pretty cool," Bernat Escuder said. "Hopefully it doesn't stay like that because I want more Spaniards to get here and keep pushing our country up and up. Yeah, hopefully, I'm not the last one."

Drive, Chip and Putt

It's not often a local golfer earns a spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club.

But Shane Strickland had the support of every Aikenite outside the ropes April 6 in his debut appearance in the kids' tournament. He said the support meant a lot to him but he knew he had to stay locked in on each section as cheers came from the crowd.

"I felt good," he said. "I also wanted to smile but I knew I had to stay focused."

Shane finished tied for seventh place with a second-place finish in the chipping skill thanks to a shot that put the ball just 2 feet, 9 inches from the hole. His success in chipping came just in time after a shaky start in the driving portion.

The 9-year-old was fifth in line with two chances to drive the ball as far as possible within bounds at the Augusta National tournament range. While Shane kept it in bounds for a 151.01-yard on his first attempt, he missed the lines to stay in bounds on the second one, giving him one point for the skill.

For the second and third skills, chipping and putting, each participant is given two tries to get the ball as close to the hole as they can. The distances away from the hole are added together for their final score on that section.

Shane's father, Chase, supported his son throughout the day as his caddie. He said his biggest focus between driving and putting was to keep Shane's confidence up.

"I told them that it looked like he got nervous and he told me 'I got nervous,'" Chase said. "He told me how he felt and I said, 'Well, your short game and your putting is where you thrive, so just take it calm, stay calm, take it slowly, and enjoy it the best you can."

After refocusing, he started out with the 2-foot, 9-inch chip shot and followed it up with a shot 5 feet, 3 inches from the hole to give him the lead with a combined score of 9 feet. As the other children came up to do their chips, Shane's name continued to top the leaderboard.

It wasn't until the final golfer in the 7-9 boys group, Lucas Dunaway, put up a total score of 6 feet, 10 inches that he moved to second place, earning him another nine points. His 8-foot, 3-inch total putting score gave him another four points for 13 points total.

After his final putt, Strickland shook hands with several Augusta National members, including former Swedish professional golfer Annika Sorenstam, who is regarded as one of the best female golfers of all time.

Gnome tops merchandise list

The final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur on April 5 also meant it was the first day of shopping for Masters Tournament merchandise.

Patrons arrived well ahead of the 7 a.m. gate opening to get in line so they could have the first crack at the items in the large Golf Shop.

At the top of the list for many was the gnome, a Masters favorite since it was first introduced in 2016. The item retails for $ 49.50 plus tax.

Michelle Percival traveled all the way from Modoc to obtain one along with several other items.

"It really was on my bucket list," she said.

The theme for the gnome this year is a Masters concession item: the Georgia Peach Ice Cream sandwich. The bearded gnome is wearing khaki slacks, a light blue shirt and holding the ice cream sandwich. The same shirt, which is decorated with the ice cream sandwich, peaches and the Masters logo, is available for sale in the merchandise shop.

Dana Boetsch, who resides in Aiken, arrived too late to get a gnome but checked off several items on her shopping list.

"We got here around 7:45 and got in the shop around 9:50," she said. "I was looking for a straw hat, pullovers and T-shirts. We did not luck out with the gnome."

One of her friends was able to purchase a miniature gnome, which is dressed in a caddie uniform.

"We know we have to get here earlier," she said.

While the golfers who made the cut for the final round competed at Augusta National, the competition was equally fierce to get in the merchandise area.

The check stand, where patrons can leave items, was closed early because of the volume of shoppers. Caps, shirts, drinkware, jewelry and golf accessories — all with the Masters logo — were among the popular items that were restocked throughout the day.

But the gnome, as in years past, was put out in limited quantities and vanished from the shelves early in the day.

"It's just a must-have item," Percival said. "I feel like it's the Masters mascot."

Helene damage

Augusta National hasn't released any information about damage caused by the tropical storm, but seasoned Masters patrons could see a difference as the walked the grounds April 5.

At Amen Corner, neighboring Augusta Country Club was visible through the thinned out trees beyond the 11th fairway. Behind the 11th green, pine trees were lost to the storm and now afford a better look at Hogan Bridge which crosses Rae's Creek.

The area around the No. 16 green — a tree fell on the green, causing it to be temporarily closed when Augusta National reopened — was noticeably thinner. And the area between No. 5 fairway and the sixth hole also appeared to have fewer trees.

Patrons also observed that the area between Nos. 1 and 9 fairways had a different look with several trees lost during the storm.

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