Who is John Augenstein? 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Him

published 13 November 2020

The amateur has been popping up near the top of the 2020 Masters leaderboard on his Masters debut.

Who is John Augenstein?

He is the man who is best placed to win the Silver Medal for the low amateur at the Masters. But here are some things that you probably don’t know about this young American golfer.

1. He is 23 years old and attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

2. He is 12th on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Of the five other amateurs in the Masters field, two are ranked higher - Andy Ogletree (6th) and James Sugrue (8th).

3. He played in the 2019 Walker Cup winning 3.5pts out of 4 for the USA.

4. He was in Augusta in March practising for the Masters when he learnt that not only had the Masters been postponed, but his collegiate spring season had also been cancelled.

5. He finished runner-up to Andy Ogletree at the 2019 US. Amateur at Pinehurst, losing 2&1.

6. He played in this year’s US Open at Winged Foot in June, where he missed the cut having shot nine-over par.

7. He took heart from his US Open appearance: “At the U.S. Open I learned that I don’t have to do more than I already do. Everything I do is plenty good enough to shoot really low scores.”

8. He drove the ball on average 310 yards at the US Open.

9. He played a practice round at Augusta National with Vanderbilt alumnus Brandt Snedeker on Monday, and with fellow Kentucky native Justin Thomas on Tuesday. “I picked up a couple of things from those guys. Little things they tell you about, things you wouldn’t notice if you haven’t had experiences there.”

10. His first round was interrupted when the close-of-play hooter went when he was on the 12th green. He putted out as “I'd rather have a 3-wood off a tee than an eight-foot birdie putt to come out of the gate.” The next morning he eagled the first hole he played, chipping in on 13.

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Contributing Writer Roderick is the author of the critically acclaimed comic golf novel, Summer At Tangents. Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is also the author of five non-fiction books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.

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