NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Reigning SEC Player of the Year John Augenstein will return for a fifth season with the Vanderbilt men’s golf team in 2020-21 after his senior season was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I came to Vanderbilt on the belief in Coach Limbaugh and what his vision for Vanderbilt Golf was,” Augenstein said. “My four years at Vanderbilt were everything and more than what I dreamed they would be. 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 joining Theo Humphrey (2018) and Will Gordon (2019) as recent Commodore honorees. 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.
“There are new opportunities available next year that played a big part in his decision, including the new PGA Tour University which is a new path for college players to the PGA Tour, U.S. Open and Masters and the opportunity to lead this program and finish this the way he had envisioned. He will return for a fifth season after earning his undergraduate degree a couple of weeks ago and now will pursue a master’s degree at this elite university. We are proud to welcome him back and we appreciate everyone that has helped to make this possible.”
Augenstein also became the program’s seventh first-team All-America selection earlier this spring after leading the Southeastern Conference 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, Arizona. The All-America selection was his fourth overall and first first-team honor. In 2017, he was named freshman All-America, in 2018 he was named as an honorable mention selection and in 2019 he was named to the third team.
Augenstein joined Patrick Martin as the only other Commodore to be named All-America for four years.
The Owensboro, Kentucky, native was also a 2019 U.S. Amateur finalist and has exemptions into the 2020 U.S. Open and Masters.
