While 2020 has been a tumultuous year, former Owensboro Catholic standout John Augenstein has been having a year of firsts as a few months ago he played in his first major championship at the U.S. Open and today tees off in his first Masters at Augusta National.
Augenstein tees off at 1:26 p.m. CST with former Masters champion Danny Willett and the 2018 runner-up in Rickie Fowler.
Going into today, the Vanderbilt Commodore standout said he’s got to have the right mindset.
“The only thing I can do is control what I can control,” he said. “If you could control how you played every tournament then you’d win every tournament. All I can do is control my routines, the decisions I’m going to make, my mental approach to the day and just making sure that we’re making the right decisions and executing. Not only choose the right shot but at least commit to every shot 100% and you can live with the result of what it’s going to be.
“Playing in a major, what I kind of saw at Winged Foot, that was my first major. The most important thing is being comfortable with the shot you’re going to hit and believing that it’s the right one. You don’t have to be perfect out here. It’s Augusta National, it’s the Masters but it’s not any different than any other golf course. You hit good shots, you’re going to be rewarded. You hit putts, they have a better chance of going in. It’s still golf, it’s still a golf course. Just going into tomorrow, I want to play to and from areas of strength and trust the work that I’ve put in and execute to the best of my abilities. If I do that then I’m going to be very happy with where I am at the end of the week.”
In his first major at Winged Foot a couple of months ago, Augenstein said he had several positives but also gained experience playing in the U.S. Open.
“It gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “I know I missed the cut … The fact is I played much better than I scored. I scored poorly because I didn’t put as well. There were some mental errors involved in my putting as well but that’s a physical error that is fixable. I felt very good about my game at Winged Foot and I feel better than I did at Winged Foot for this tournament. I’ve been given a couple of extra months of preparation, a couple extra months of tournaments and competitively, I’m in a good mindset. Just ready to play.”
When looking down the list of favorites, Augenstein said they all have one thing in common.
Experience.
For him, he’s just looking to add to his arsenal and learn more as he takes on one of the most prestigious courses in the world.
“It’s the same with college golf,” he said. “I’ve gotten physically better but also the reason I’m first-team All-American my senior year and I’m just an honorable mention All-American my freshman year is experience and just knowing a lot more about golf. I think I’m plenty ready to play this week and in a really good spot.”
This week wasn’t Augenstein’s first visit to Augusta National as he said he made the trip more than a decade ago but he admitted it didn’t resonate with him then like it does now.
“I remember it but you don’t fully appreciate it when you’re 10,” he said.
Whether it be Owensboro Country Club, Ben Hawes, Winged Foot or Augusta National, Augenstein said he can’t focus on who’s he playing with or how they’re playing.
“I’m just a big believer in worrying about myself,” he said. “I’ve got some buddies out here and some guys on tour that have taken me a little under their wing and made me feel comfortable but at the end of the day, I just want to put my blinders on and run my race. I really just try to worry about myself and what I need to do to get better. I think that’s the big thing. When you’re out here in professional golf, there’s no schedule. You come to the course whenever you want, you leave whenever you want.
“In college golf, you come with the team and you leave when the team needs to leave. You get 18 holes of practice and that’s all you get one day. Nothing wrong with that, I actually think that might be better because you can overwork a little bit out here. I haven’t done that this week, I’ve done a really good job of budgeting my time but I think just trusting what I’m doing is plenty good enough. Everybody has their own plan and these guys know what they’re doing each and every week because they do it every week.”
With everyone having their own plan, Augenstein said each players also prepares differently and not everyone gets ready for a tournament the same way.
“I think just finding what works for you and trusting that is the most important,” he said.
In the days leading up to the Masters, Augenstein said he was grateful for the outpouring of support he’s seen from those in the Owensboro area.
He said he’ll never forget it.
“Owensboro will always be home,” he said. “The people that are there are very supportive of me and always have been. I’m always in contact with guys from home and people that I play a lot of golf with. My dads friends and a couple other guys at Owensboro Country Club and then just overall people, supporters that have sent me messages. I’m always very appreciative and I call and talk to them all the time, just checking in. They’ll all be a part of my life and I certainly appreciate everything they say and do for me.”
