April 17, 2018
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – A chilly wind blew on the 17th hole during Sunday’s final round of the Mason Rudolph Championship when Vanderbilt senior Theo Humphrey turned to head coach Scott Limbaugh. Humphrey was curious where his teammate, sophomore John Augenstein, stood on the tournament leaderboard as the day drew to a close.
“I said, I think John’s five- or six-under,” Limbaugh said. “Theo goes, ‘Coach, that’s not even real out here today.’ That’s how good John was.”
A blustery afternoon couldn’t prevent Augenstein from a premier performance during host Vanderbilt’s showing at the Legends Club in Franklin. The second-year Commodore and reigning SEC Freshman of the Year won his first collegiate tournament by carding a seven-under par 206 (70-69-67), five shots better than runner-up Davis Shore of Alabama.
Augenstein’s victory helped the fourth-ranked Commodores take home the Mason Rudolph Championship by three shots over No. 7 Alabama, turning in a final 54-hole team total of 853 (288-287-278). The sophomore said another team title – Vanderbilt’s third in four tournaments this spring – gives the program another boost ahead of the SEC Championships in two weeks.
“The guys today, we brought it,” said Augenstein, standing on the edge of the 18th green at Legends. “I’m so glad we won, because that’s more important than me.”
The bright lights of the leaderboard didn’t faze Augenstein, who entered Sunday tied with Shore as the individual leader following Friday’s two rounds (three-under par 139). But despite Augenstein’s performance, Vanderbilt trailed first-place Liberty by five shots and second-place Alabama by three after 36 holes.
The Dores’ body language didn’t sit well with Limbaugh.
“I didn’t think we played with much passion on Friday,” Limbaugh said. “I told them that’s who we are, we play with passion. We care about what we do. I didn’t see a lot of fist-pumps, and I wanted to see that on Sunday.”
He added: “John’s the kind of guy that responds well to that.”
Augenstein, a Freshman All-American in 2017, led the charge for Vanderbilt on Sunday. After a slow start with a bogey on No. 2, the sophomore made the turn at one-under before authoring a blitz of birdies on the back nine. Augenstein carded birdies on 10, 11 and 12 and ended the round with six birdies in his final nine holes.
“My mindset was just to stay in the moment,” the Owensboro, Ky. product said. “Making three birdies in a row on 10 through 12 was huge, just to get the back nine going. When we’re playing out here, we traditionally tear up the back nine, so I knew I’d have some opportunities.”
Augenstein became the fourth Commodore to take home the Mason Rudolph title, joining elite company in former Vanderbilt All-Americans Matthias Schwab (2015), Luke List (2005) and Brandt Snedeker (2003). He led the field in par-five scoring (4.17 average, -10), tied for the tournament lead in par-four scoring (4.04, +1), paced the field in birdies with 17 and posted a tournament-best three eagles.
A red-hot Augenstein adds another weapon for a Vanderbilt squad eyeing to repeat as SEC champs. The Commodores have won three team titles this spring, and dating back to last fall, three different players have claimed individual crowns this season: junior Will Gordon (East Lake Cup), Humphrey (Schenkel Invitational) and Augenstein. That depth makes Vanderbilt one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC.
Heading into the postseason with a Mason Rudolph title doesn’t hurt, either.
“There’s definitely a lot of momentum around the program right now,” Augenstein said. “There are things we can do better, but we certainly have a target on our backs heading into SECs, especially since we won it last year. We’re excited.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
