Lauren Olivares Leon is an NCAA record holder, a three-time collegiate tournament winner and now an invitee to one of the most prestigious tournaments in amateur golf — the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Olivares is the most decorated NC State women’s golfer of all time, and as her collegiate career is coming to a close, it is also hitting its peak.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur hosts the top 72 women amateur golfers in the world, with the final round taking place at the mecca of golf — Augusta National Golf Club, the home of The Masters.
To qualify for the event, you must either be the winner of the Women’s Amateur or the Junior Amateur Championships, the NCAA Division I Champion, or rank among the top 30 in the United States or top 30 among international players who have not already qualified. Since the tournament’s creation in 2019, no NC State golfer had been invited.
In October of last year, approaching the final events of the fall season, Olivares was ranked 38 among internationals and was on the outside looking in. Her chances were slipping away, and the pressure got to Olivares.
In the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, hosted by UNC-Chapel Hill at Finley Golf Course, Olivares shot 11-over par, tying for 37 — a result that pushed her further from her lifelong dream.
“I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” Olivares said. “I just didn’t want to let myself down in my last year of college since it was basically my last chance to make it to Augusta National. … When we played at UNC’s club, I was so bad. I hated golf.”
Two weeks later, she secured her third career win at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina, claiming enough points in the World Amateur Golf Rankings to earn a bid to Augusta.
“Golf is just like that,” Olivares said. “You have bad tournaments, good tournaments and you just never know when it’s going to come.”
Olivares hit her peak at the perfect time, as she was the 31st-ranked international player as of Dec. 31, 2024 — just squeaking into the field.
“I’ve always dreamed of that letter and getting invited to this tournament,” Olivares said. “I feel like for every single little girl, this is the dream.”
Head coach Darby Sligh has seen Olivares’ ambition over the course of her collegiate career, and to see her accomplish one of her goals means just as much to her.
“When Lauren came in as a freshman, that was her broad amateur golf goal before she turned pro,” Sligh said. “At the time, she may have been around 300 in the world, and even six or seven months ago, she was around 120 in the world. So to climb that far to get the automatic invite, it’s one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen a player do under that type of pressure of her own will.”
This was not the first huge accomplishment for Olivares. It was just a culmination of the hard work she’s put in. She broke the NCAA record for lowest women’s golf score, shooting an 11-under 60 at the 2023 Cougar Classic — a record which still stands today.
“I just didn’t even realize what I just did, like I just shot 60,” Olivares said. “… I mean, it changed my life, and I guess more people got to know me.”
The Mexico native couldn’t speak any English when she got to NC State and has had to manage her studies and team practices on top of six to seven hours of individual practice per day. Despite these challenges, she has broken barriers. And now, as her amateur career comes to a close, she isn’t just content with a spot in the dance.
“I was talking to my mental coach yesterday, because I didn’t know if I should go with expectations,” Olivares said. “… He told me, ‘You want to win the tournament. There’s no reason to go play that tournament and just see what happens.’ I want to win.”
The first two rounds will take place April 2-3 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Georgia, and the top 30 players will compete in the final round at Augusta National Golf Club April 5. The first and second rounds will be broadcast on the Golf Channel, and the final round will be on NBC Sports.
