Third time was the charm for Kansas State senior Carla Bernat at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, becoming the first Wildcat and Spaniard to win the tournament on April 5.

A week removed from reaching the pinnacle of the sport, Bernat had received countless messages of support from her home country. And she’ll admit it still doesn’t feel real.

“It’s the dream golf course for any golfer,” Bernat said. “Doesn’t really matter where you’re from, it’s a huge deal playing there. My family couldn’t believe that they would turn on the TV and see me playing there.”

She joined four Spanish legends as winners at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club: Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal, Sergio García, and Jon Rahm. Ballesteros was the first European to win the Masters in 1980 and 1983. Olazábal won in 1994 and 1999. García, who plays at the same home course as Bernat, won in 2017, and most recently, Rahm won in 2023.

“It’s such an honor; I can’t believe it,” she said. “Seve started everything winning those, and Sergio too, who is from the same golf course as me, it’s great to hear their names right next to mine. It’s just a dream for me.”

The native of Castellon, Spain, said she received messages from Spanish politicians and athletes, including six-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol. Two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau also congratulated Bernat on her win before he placed in a tie for fifth at the Masters this weekend.

“Spaniards, we’re really passionate about golf, which is what we love,” Bernat said. “I feel that this weekend meant a lot for Spain, being the first Spaniard winning. They make such a big deal, right, which it is, but they’re just so proud. And they text you and let you know that you just made history in Spain. You just feel loved by your country. And I honestly just want to keep working and keep pushing.”

Bernat missed the cut during her first trip to the Amateur Championship as a sophomore, and then made the cut but tied for 17th last year. This time, she said her mental game was in the best place it had been.

“Right now, I feel completely different compared to how I’ve been the last two years mentally,” she said. “I’m just so relieved. I’m not stressed at all. I’m in the best position right now.”

A big help in keeping her from stressing about the game was her caddy, Rinko Mitsunaga, who is an assistant coach for the Wildcats.

“She keeps me calm,” Bernat said. “She knows me a lot. She knows what makes me nervous and how to kind of keep me relaxed. She makes me laugh, and that’s basically what I need.”

Mitsunaga has been a part of Bernat’s college journey from its start at Tulane, alongside head coach Stew Burke, who all made the transition to Manhattan for the 2023-24 season. She was very excited to have the opportunity to caddy.

“We all wanted to caddy for her,” Mitsunaga said. “She’s a lot of fun to work with, and I really enjoyed being with her for four years. “We just told her, ‘Go with your gut. No one’s going to force you. And if you don’t want any of us, that’s fine by us, too.’ But especially coming to senior year, we kind of let her decide what she wanted to do.”

Mitsunaga said her biggest focus as the caddie was simply to remind Bernat to live in the moment and not think too far ahead.

“We walked together quite a lot in college events as well,” she said. “That was the attitude we both had. Any time we felt nervous or caught our mental struggling, we just told each other, ‘Hey, let’s enjoy this moment. You’re a senior now. It’s a full circle moment. Let’s just enjoy everyone clapping for you because this is what you deserve.’”

Then, when Bernat sank her final putt on the 18th, the moment truly became hers.

“I think we both blacked out,” Mitsunaga said. “I don’t know if she knew how close (the leaderboard) was. I did, but I didn’t really mention it to her. I think we knew from the start she was going to win (but) we didn’t talk about it. We never talked about the tournament with each other.”

Burke, in his second year at the helm of K-State women’s golf, has brought the program to new heights with the help of golfers like Bernat. The Wildcats rank No. 28 in the nation entering the Big 12 Championship.

“As a team, we’ve kind of put ourselves on the map this year,” Burke said. “Being ranked in the top 30, a quick ascent. But (Bernat’s win) really highlights us globally because unless you’re within the US, rankings are just a number. Now we’ve got a personality attached to that part of it. It’s really just a special performance.”

The Wildcats start Big 12 action on Tuesday at The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas.