Last year, Bryson DeChambeau started the final round of the Masters just two shots back of Rory McIlroy. While he took the lead after the second hole, he lost it quickly. The two-time U.S. Open champion sealed his Masters fate with a double bogey at No. 11 and a bogey at 12, four shots behind the Northern Irishman who completed his career Grand Slam. It was hard to decipher whether losing the lead from so close hurt more or being unable to crack the Masters code even after a decade.

But, of course, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And that as well might be DeChambeau’s mantra. So when 17-year-old Asterisk Talley was feeling disheartened after her late blowout at the shortest hole at Augusta National, the LIV Golfer knew exactly what the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball winner needed to hear and she doesn’t mind sharing the motivation with the world.

“He said keep my head high,” Talley said of DeChambeau. “He said he’s been in my position before, and he knows how it feels, especially here… You’re a great player. It doesn’t really matter.”

DeChambeau is a fellow NorCal product, and they have known each other for over a decade, going back to the days when they shared a swing coach. But his empathy stems from his own brutal history at Augusta.

“From the losses you learn the most – that’s pretty much what I told her. She’s going to be fine. She’s going to be one of the best players in the world one day. And she knows it. I told her the most important thing is how you handle yourself and how you showcase yourself to inspire others,” said DeChambeau of the interaction.

He was the low amateur in 2016, but then he struggled to solve the Masters puzzle for years, including an 80 and back-to-back missed cuts in 2022 and 2023. And just like DeChambeau’s last Augusta visit, Talley entered the final round at ANWA 2026 with a one-stroke lead at 11-under par after two bogey-free rounds at Champions Retreat, too.

For a while, it appeared she was ready to take the final round pressure when Talley began the day with birdies on Nos. 1, 3, and 4, turning in 3-under 33 at the front nine. With nine holes left, Talley’s lead remained slim, but she had not made a bogey at the ANWA since the sixth of the final round last year. But the pressure started to mount on the 10th hole.

She missed a short birdie chance there. On the par-4 11th, she recorded her first bogey of the tournament, falling into a tie with Colombia’s Maria Jose Marin. Then, on the 155-yard par-3 12th, Augusta’s shortest hole, the catastrophe began.

Talley’s tee shot went into the bushes, eventually settling in a back bunker. The sand was unexpectedly hard, preventing her from generating spin. Her second shot raced across the green and into Rae’s Creek. In that moment, Talley elected to drop back in the same bunker rather than crossing the water. She repeated the error, sending her fourth shot into the water again. She eventually took a quadruple-bogey 7, effectively ending her title hopes in 15 minutes.

Talley finished with a 3-over 75, falling to a tie for fourth place when the tournament concluded. And with that, Talley narrowly missed the opportunity to win the ANWA for the second time. In 2025, she shot 68 in the final round to finish runner-up by a single stroke to Spain’s Carla Bernat Escuder.

Call it a setback or motivation, Augusta National has its own way of testing champions. Asterisk Talley is simply the latest victim. The infamous Hole 12 has several other elite victims in its lore:

1. In 2016, defending champion Jordan Spieth was leading by five at the turn before a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th. It doomed his title defense.
2. Greg Norman famously had a six-shot lead on Sunday in the 1996 Masters that he eventually lost by a water ball on the 12th during a final-round 78.
3. Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, and Tony Finau all found the water at the 12th while in contention for the green jacket.

But while everyone focused on the collapse, Rory McIlroy provided a different angle in the NBC broadcast room.

Rory McIlroy explained why Asterisk Talley should regroup after the meltdown

Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion, was on site at Augusta National. Having finally won the Masters in 2025 to complete his career Grand Slam, after over a decade of heartbreak and never losing hope, McIlroy spoke about the necessity of regrouping.

“Anything can happen on this golf course is what I would tell her,” McIlroy said. “Two par 5s are coming up in 13 and 15, with a pin on the left at 16; the water is in play. A lot can happen. Obviously she needs to bounce back on 13 and hopefully make a birdie, but it’s certainly not over around this place. I know that better than anyone. Hopefully she regroups, and it’ll be an exciting last few holes.”

Despite the quadruple bogey on 12, Talley bounced back with a birdie at the 13th. But then she made bogey at 15 and dumped her tee shot on No. 16 in the water, which finally sealed her fate. Still, the way Talley continued competing and faced the camera for an interview after the final-round heartbreak was truly inspiring.

Gebby Hergiz of The Athletic wrote on X, “A ‘W’ for the Asterisk Talley today. That was so tough on No. 12. I can’t imagine what it felt like in the moment. But she kept her chin up and then stood in front of us and answered every question with honesty and grace. At age 17? Huge, huge props.”

But Talley, who has built a career by winning big tournaments and several near-misses, will definitely carry this scar when she visits the heralded course for the next time.