Augenstein returning to Vanderbilt for fifth season

May 28, 2020 | 12:05 am

Updated May 28, 2020 | 2:34 am

John Augenstein is still planning on going pro, but first he’s returning for a fifth season with Vanderbilt University after his senior year was cut short due to the coronavirus.

Augenstein, a former standout at Owensboro Catholic, is the reigning SEC Player of the Year. He was also a 2019 U.S. Amateur finalist and has exemptions into the 2020 U.S. Open and Masters.

Still, he’s got unfinished business as a Commodore.

“My four years at Vanderbilt were everything and more than what I dreamed they would be,” Augenstein said. “These last few months did not go as planned for any of us, and after talking with my family, coaches and close supporters, I have decided that it would be best for me to return to Vanderbilt golf for a fifth year. I am not content with how this year played out for myself and for my team. There is more work to do.”

Following the 2019-20 season, Augenstein became the third consecutive Vanderbilt men’s golf student-athlete to be named SEC Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Haskins Award and is currently a finalist for the Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Awards given to the college golfer of the year.

“John is certainly a great player and someone that has given everything he has to Vanderbilt University and our golf program,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “He represents us all with class and integrity on and off the course. John, like so many, got a lot of his senior season taken away, including the SEC and NCAA Championship, and lost a lot of other opportunities including playing in The Masters and U.S. Open. John’s Vanderbilt story is not finished.

Augenstein also became the program’s seventh first-team All-America selection earlier this spring after leading the SEC in stroke average (69.95) in 2019-20. He played 19 rounds in seven events and posted an individual tournament victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz. The All-America selection was his fourth overall and first time with first-team honors.

May 28, 2020 | 12:05 am

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