Jacksonville's Schroeder kept fighting to end in effort to make Augusta Women's Amateur cut

Kaitlyn Schroeder missed the cut on Thursday at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

But the Jacksonville resident and University of Alabama freshman went down swinging.

Schroeder carded a 73 at Champions Retreat in Augusta, Ga., with five birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey, for a 5-over 149 that was three shots outside the line to make it to Augusta National for the final round on Saturday.

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But she's got a consolation prize coveted by almost any golfer in the world: she gets to play a round at Augusta National on Friday, along with the 31 players who made the 2-over cut, and everyone else who was in the field.

For one day, it will be no-pressure golf at the most famous course in the world, with her father, University of North Florida golf coach Scott Schroeder, caddying for her.

"It will be a chance to hit a few of the fun shots we've been at the Masters," she said. "Maybe try to hit Tiger's chip [in the 2005 Masters]. I'll be playing with one of my best friends [Gianna Clemente of Estero, who tied for ninth] and it's going to be fun."

Schroeder shot 76 in the first round on Wednesday and got off to a rough start on Thursday after teeing off at No. 10. After four pars in a row, she made a double-bogey at the par-5 14th hole, then a bogey at the par-4 16th.

But Schroeder found her putting touch with a 20-footer for birdie at the par-3 17th hole and a 5-footer at the par-5 18th.

Schroeder then got a tough break at the par-4 first, barely finding a fairway bunker that had a steep face. She made bogey, but quickly righted the ship with a 2-foot birdie putt at No. 2, a 6-footer for birdie at No. 5 and a 30-footer for birdie at No. 8.

She nearly made a two at the par-4 fifth. Her approach from 145 yards out, with an 8-iron, hit the flag and bounce away.

Schroeder needed to eagle the par-5 ninth to make the cut. She pounded a drive down the middle, then flushed a 3-wood from 250 yards out over the green. Schroeder had an impossible lie to the back pin, cut on a downslope from where her ball rested, and she three-putted from 40 feet for a closing bogey.

"I hit the two best shots I hit all week," she said of the drive and 3-wood at the ninth. "I never thought it would get over the green but I had so much adrenaline."

Schroeder said she takes nothing but positives away from the week — and that's before teeing it up at Augusta National on Friday.

"The chairman's dinner on Tuesday, the field, how the tournament was run — it was the best-run event I've ever played," he said. "It's definitely the best week I've ever had in golf."

Like everyone else, Schroeder was in awe of the golf being played so far by leader Rose Zhang, who shot 66-65--131 to take a five-shot lead at 13-under.

"It's really impressive," she said. "It's how she does almost every time she tees it up."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Kaitlyn Schroeder goes down swinging, misses Augusta Women's Amateur cut