AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Furman's Anna Morgan (+5) is tied for 52nd at the completion of Wednesday's first round of the fourth Augusta National Women's Amateur, which is being held this week in Augusta, Ga.

Morgan, a senior from Spartanburg, S.C., who tied for 21st at the tournament last year, teed off on No. 1 and birdied No. 3.  After a tough start to the round, she settled in and recorded 11-consecutive pars to finish the day with a 77.  Rose Zhang (-6) holds the first-round lead after shooting a 66 on Wednesday. 

An international field of 72 women amateurs is competing over 54 holes of stroke play.  A cut will take place after Thursday's second round, advancing the leading 30 players and ties to Saturday's final round at Augusta National Golf Club.  In the event of a tie after 54 holes, the winner will be decided by sudden-death playoff.

The first 36 holes are being contested on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.  Morgan will tee off on hole No. 10 at 9:44 a.m. on Thursday and will play in a group with Ting-Hsuan Huangof Chinese Taipei and Sabrina Iqbal of the United States for the second-straight round.

The entire field will play Augusta National for an official practice round on Friday.  

Thursday's second-round coverages will be broadcast live on Golf Channel (1:30-3:30 p.m.) from Champions Retreat Golf Club.  NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours (noon-3 p.m.) of live final-round coverage of the event at Augusta National.  Additionally, Golf Channel's "Live From the Masters" will commence on Friday at Augusta National to provide coverage of the Augusta National Women's Amateur, the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and the Masters Tournament.

Live results of the ANWA is available throughout the tournament at https://www.anwagolf.com/en_US/scores/index.html.

Morgan, who was voted the 2021-22 SoCon Female Athlete of the Year and the Edna Hartness Furman Female Athlete of the Year, earned a WGCA All-America second team citation after finishing ninth at last season's NCAA Championships.  She qualified for the national championship after firing a final-round 67, the sixth-best women's collegiate round at Karsten Creek, to finish fifth at the NCAA Stillwater Regional and advance in the top individual spot at the regional.  The 2022 Southern Conference Player of the Year, she led the league with a 72.25 stroke average over 36 rounds and concluded the season ranked 16th nationally, the highest ranking among SoCon players.  

A two-time All-SoCon selection, Morgan, who led the Paladins to the SoCon Championship and the Lady Paladin Invitational title in 2021-22, tallied six top-5 finishes and nine top-10 finishes in 12 events during her junior campaign.  She won individual medalist honors at the Lady Paladin Invitational, establishing a new tournament record at 13-under par, and also claimed individual medalist honors at the UNF Collegiate.  Later in the spring, she finished in a tie for fifth at the Valspar Augusta Invitational and the Clemson Invitational.  Morgan qualified for the U.S. Women's Open and competed on the U.S. Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup last summer.

Morgan leads Furman this season with a 72.59 stroke average over 29 rounds.  Earlier in March, she won the UNF Collegiate with a three-round total of 12-under.  Last fall, he finished second at the 2022 Lady Paladin Invitational and sixth at last fall's Barbara Nicklaus Cup.  Morgan currently ranks 72nd nationally. 

Former Paladins Alice Chen, Haylee Harford, and Natalie Srinivasan competed at the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2019, where Harford tied for seventh and Srinivasan finished in a tie for 17th.  Srinivasan was invited to the 2020 event, which was canceled due to Covid-19. 

Provided she remain an amateur, the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur Champion will receive an invitation to the next five Augusta National Women's Amateurs, the 2023 U.S. Women's Open, the 2023 Women's British Open, and any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible for one year.