"I've watched this ever since I was younger, and to win it is really special," said Woad, a sophomore at Florida State.

The fifth edition of the Augusta National Women's Amateur – the final round coming on Saturday at Augusta National before the Masters – was a two-player race that ended with a birdie-birdie finish.

Woad, who started the final round at Augusta National with a two-shot lead, fell behind when American Bailey Shoemaker finished off a remarkable bogey-free round of 66.

And then it got worse for Woad. She played defensively on the par-5 13th, pulling her approach to the top shelf with the pin down below, just as it is for Sunday at the Masters. The three-putt bogey put her two behind and running out of holes.

And then she delivered moments so typical on the back nine at Augusta National.

It started with a 10-foot par save on the 14th when she got up-and-down from behind the green. She holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th, and narrowly made one from about the same length at the next hole.

Woad birdied the 17th with a shot about 10 feet away to the back left pin, and then gave herself a chance with an approach to 15 feet behind the hole. The winning putt was good all the way, and Woad lightly pumped her fist.

"You're now a part of Augusta National history," Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said in Butler Cabin, where Woad received a trophy, but no green jacket.

Shoemaker, a freshman at USC, did all she could. She played brilliantly to the dangerous left pin on the par-4 11th and made her final birdie on the par-3 16th with a tee shot that narrowly cleared the bunker and settled 3 feet away.

Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, the No. 1 player in the women's amateur ranking and a fifth-year senior at LSU, had to settle for her third top-3 finish.

She started four shots behind but never got closer than two shots, closing with a 69 to finish alone in third.

 – Doug Ferguson