Get to Know: John Augenstein
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Late in a closely contested U.S. Amateur semifinal match two years ago, John Augenstein faced a delicate, short-sided chip at Pinehurst No. 2, a course known for its slick, confounding greens.
Augenstein’s opponent, William Holcomb V, had just executed an “extraordinary chip” to gimme range.
Augenstein was 2 up with four holes to play. Exemptions into the Masters and U.S. Open were on the line.
“John hits this nipping, spinning chip that is just going fast, and checks, and is then rolling like a putt,” recalled William Kane, Augenstein’s close friend who caddied that week. “It lips out, he ends up halving the hole and then winning the match.