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In a field littered with players from Big-5 schools (three from Stanford, alone, in the top-10 entering Saturday’s final round), Emma represents what we endearingly call “Aggie Nation”.
By Levi Gwaltney
Photos: Courtesy NMSU
To the folks in Georgia, Emma Bunch is “making her Championship debut,” and what a stage for her to announce her debutante status to the world. The 2024 Second Team All-American won six events for New Mexico State in calendar-year 2024, and added another win in the Spring Break Shootout in March. She was a member of the International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland and finished T-5 in the Spirit International in Texas and T-9 in the European Ladies’ Amateur in Finland. In 2023, she won both the Danish Women’s National Match Play and Stroke Play titles and finished runner-up in the Women’s Amateur championships of Poland and Austria.
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Obviously, the junior from Denmark presents herself as a worthy competitor on paper; however, what they may not know in the “Peach State” is how Emma Bunch is an Aggie. In a field littered with players from Big-5 schools (three from Stanford, alone, in the top-10 entering Saturday’s final round), Emma represents what we endearingly call “Aggie Nation”. Aggie Nation is that group of people who are often overlooked, but who on occasion rise up to show the world how we come to compete, time and time again. This is one of those moments.
In Emma’s case, she has demonstrated a degree of confidence rivaling the haughtiest of peers, except her confidence is matched with a level humility and dedication rarely seen between one and eighteen.
This year, Emma tries to join Jennifer Kupcho, Tsubasa Kajitani, Anna Davis, Rose Zhang and Lottie Woad as winners of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and she has a shot. Yesterday, Emma made “the cut”… and Aggie Nation is so very proud of her. She sits alone in 8th place, and just 4 strokes back from leaders Woad and Romero. We will be cheering her on this Saturday.
The Championship Round will be aired on NBC (KTSM 9) starting at 10am MST. There will also be a Live Streaming Simulcast (www.anwagolf.com).
Emma will tee-off in “Group 13” at 7:50AM. She is paired with T6 Meja Örtengren, Sweden’s Stanford Freshman.
[Just for luck, here is a photo of a puppy you and your caddie can reference… should the need arise. Wave is looking pretty “gangsta” here, don’t you think?]
