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When official word came across that the 2020 Masters would be postponed due to the coronavirus, our collective golf spirit wilting like an azalea plucked clean off a shrub and tossed to the turf below, John Augenstein had reason to feel worse than most.
His plan for the future, which had been to play at Augusta National in April as an amateur, complete his senior season at Vanderbilt in May and turn pro in early June, was replaced with uncertainty and unforeseen anxiety.
“It’s all just shock right now, taking it in and trying to figure out what’s next,” said Augenstein (above). “I’ve never really been someone to dwell on the past, but the only problem is that there isn’t really a way of knowing what’s next. We don’t know when we’ll be back to normal life.
“I wouldn’t say it’s scary necessarily, but it’s a little bit alarming to not know what the future holds.”
It’s an intriguing dilemma for an amateur like Augenstein, who earned an invitation to the Masters by finishing runner-up at last year’s U.S. Amateur and is currently No. 16 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Like then-amateur standouts Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff last summer, Augenstein said he had hoped to receive multiple sponsor exemptions to PGA Tour events on his way to establishing status as a professional. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak likely shortening the 2020 pro season, Augenstein fears those potential exemptions will evaporate as tournaments reserve more spots for current PGA Tour members.
“A lot of guys who are on the PGA Tour are going to want to get out and play, so I don’t know what the spots are going to look like,” Augenstein noted.
Turning pro in June also could prevent him from playing in the Masters by virtue of his U.S. Amateur invitation. Augenstein has heard the speculation that the Masters could be played in October, meaning that he could enter Korn Ferry Tour Q-School as an amateur and make his way through while still getting to play at Augusta. The first and second Q-School stages typically take place in October and November, respectively, but there are multiple sites and dates to choose from if a rescheduled Masters were to coincide with one of them.
That’s all conjecture, of course, given that the Korn Ferry Tour’s 25-tournament regular season has been substantially affected by the pandemic. The tour has completed six events, canceled five, postponed three and has only 11 remaining on the schedule beyond that. How the rest of its season unfolds and what alterations are made to the process by which players earn PGA Tour cards – will 50 PGA Tour cards still be awarded if the regular season is cut in half or worse? – could impact what Q-School looks like.
Another option for Augenstein would be to replay his senior season at Vanderbilt – the NCAA is granting all athletes in spring sports an extra year of eligibility after canceling their seasons because of the virus – likely assuring that he would play in the Masters whether it’s this fall or next spring while also opening the possibility of earning PGA Tour sponsor exemptions in the summer of 2021. That avenue also could open the door to Augenstein playing in another Walker Cup, as next year’s event at Florida’s Seminole Golf Club has been moved up to May from the match’s traditional September slot.
And that’s not to mention PGA Tour University, a new system expected to start next year through which college seniors could earn Korn Ferry Tour status based on where they rank among peers.
However, it appears unlikely Augenstein will head back to Vanderbilt.
“It’s come up in conversation about going back, but that would probably be the last option,” Augenstein said. “That may happen only if it’s the worst-case scenario. Just like when you get done with high school, you want to move on. That’s kind of how I feel. A lot of my teammates and peers are thinking about (whether to return to school) and it will be interesting to see what everyone does. I don’t foresee myself coming back.”
“I’m still just trying to comprehend everything. I’m a very plan-oriented guy and I like to know what I’m doing months in advance. Right now, that’s the worst part for me."
Andy Ogletree
Andy Ogletree, the Georgia Tech senior who defeated Augenstein to win the U.S. Amateur, is going through a similar thought process. His plan had been to play in the Masters as an amateur and then play in the Memorial Tournament and U.S. Open as a professional. The USGA changed its rule starting this year that allows the U.S. Amateur champion to turn pro and retain his U.S. Open exemption.
Both the Memorial and U.S. Open are still holding their original June dates, but few would be surprised if that changes. Ogletree said he hopes to know when the Masters will be played before having to make a decision about turning pro, but there is a legitimate chance he will eschew a Masters invitation if his path to the PGA Tour appears viable this summer.
It’s a lot to process, especially given the heartache of the college season suddenly ending. Ogletree is Georgia Tech’s team captain and the senior-laden group had an excellent chance to win a national title.
“I’m still just trying to comprehend everything,” Ogletree said. “I’m a very plan-oriented guy and I like to know what I’m doing months in advance. Right now, that’s the worst part for me.
“It’s driving me crazy because there is nobody who can answer those questions.”
While Augenstein left open a small crack in the door when asked about returning to school, Ogletree was more absolute in saying that he won’t be returning regardless of the circumstances.
“For me, I feel like I am in a good position of getting enough (PGA Tour) starts to gain status,” Ogletree said. “But for other people, I can see why they would want to come back. There’s going to be more of a draft next year for seniors to get status (through the PGA Tour University).”
Not everyone has the luxury of sponsor exemptions or returning to school. Lukas Michel, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, also has his eye on turning pro but will have to navigate those murky waters in a different way than Augenstein and Ogletree.
Michel’s plan had been to turn pro after the U.S. Open – unlike the U.S. Amateur winner, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion is not allowed to play in the event as a professional – but his desire to play in the Masters is extremely high. He would be more than willing to put professional golf on the back burner for as long as necessary to use his Masters invitation.
“I definitely didn’t want to play the event without spectators, even if it meant getting to play this April,” Michel said. “I wanted the authentic experience of having the crowds, preferably in the spring. But the more I thought about the possibility of it being in the fall, the more I liked that. It may be the only Masters ever in the fall. It could be a really cool opportunity to be a part of that.”
Michel came across from his native Australia to practice and play in the southeastern United States before the Masters. As he sat in the airport terminal in Los Angeles, Calif., on his way to Atlanta, Ga., he received word that the Masters had been postponed. He had also intended to play in the Azalea Invitational at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina two weeks before the Masters, but that tournament has met the same fate.
He did what he could to take advantage of his American journey, practicing at Augusta National and playing a few other gems like Palmetto Golf Club in nearby Aiken, S.C.
“If I had known what was going to happen while I was still in Australia, I probably wouldn’t have left,” Michel said. “It came a couple of days too late for me, but being here for the past week has been surprisingly nice.”
As for his professional aspirations, Michel initially wanted to try qualifying schools in Europe or possibly Japan later this year. With the next Masters likely coming after those, he almost certainly will hold off on those plans.
He went as far as to say that, if the Masters is canceled in 2020 and not played until next April, there is a greater chance of him still playing in the tournament than turning pro before then.
“I’m still not 100 percent sure I will turn pro,” Michel said. “It’s what I want to do, but when I play some of these events (as an amateur), I may find that I am out of my depth and realize, ‘Oh, wait, pro golf is not for me.’ I’ve got a good education and may end up falling back on that.”
Amid the pandemic, the one thing everyone has in common, whether it be an amateur golfer trying to decide when to turn pro or your neighbor down the street figuring out travel plans, is that all schedules are in flux.
How the game’s top amateurs navigate the uncertainty will be fascinating to watch.
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