AUGUSTA, Ga. — Stewart Hagestad has been living in some rarefied air this week.
Hagestad, a Southern California native who’s been working at a real estate firm in New York City and playing out of Deepdale on Long Islan🎃d, is playing the Masters this week as the reigning Mid-Amateur champion.
Hꦗis caddie, John Doherty, is a Jersey Shore resident who’s known as one of the best tournament caddies in the metropolitan area.
Hagestad ▨hardly has been a wallflower this week at Augusta National as he prepared for his Thursday morning opening round.
His week included nine holes with Augusta National member Condoleezza Rice, lunch on Tuesday with Rice and Phil Mickelson on the clubhouse deck, practice rounds with Adaℱm Scott, Jordan Spieth and Jus♎tin Thomas and a putting lesson with Ben Crenshaw.
Other than that, it’s been a rather routine 🌌week for t💎he 25-year-old USC graduate.
“It’s just another golf tournament,’’ Hagestad said Wednesday morning as he walked to the first tee to play a practice round with Spieth, whom he’s known since they played junior golf together. “An 8-iron out here is the same as it is at home. It flies though the same air and it’s playing to the same size hole. I’ve always felt like I played better when I’m under the gun. It’s just golf.’’
Hagestad is here this week because he overcame two large deficits in the Mid-Amateur championship in September, defeating Scott Harvey by winning four of the last five holes and foꦯrcing a playoff, which he won with a birdie.
The most interesting🐻 element to Hagestad, who is on a leave as a financial analyst at Oaktree Residential and Management so he could prepare for and play in the Masters, is he is resisting the pull to turn pro.
“I’m going to stay amateur,’’ he said. “I’m not turning pro𝕴.’’
Why?
“Growing up with them,’’ he said, pointing to his friends Spieth and Thomas oꦡn the practice putting green. “Those guys are really good.’’
Yes, but he is, too.
“Yeah, I’m good, but it’s a lot more fun playing against guys who are 35 that work for a li💛ving and have families rather than guys that play golf for a living,’’ he said. “I’m half-kidding, but I look at guys who are members here and guys who are some of the elite amateur players and look at the way they’ve🐼 matched amateur golf with their professional careers and it seems like a really, really fun and unique opportunity.’’
For now, Hagestad is trying to make some memories at the Masters.༒ So is Doherty, who’s worked 59 USGA event𝄹s in his career, including the 2012 US Open at Olympic Club, where he caddied for Cameron Wilson.
Doherty met Hagestad while Doherty was caddying for Ryan Snouffer in the 2015 Met-Amateur at Baltusrol🌊, where Snouffer beat Hagestad in the semifinal.
“Then I get this phone call from a 949 number and was like, ‘Who the heck is this?’ ’’ Doherty recalled. “It was Stew, anꦜd he asked me to caddie for him at Olympia Fields in the 2015 U.S. Amateur.’’
They’ve been together since.
“The first tee shot, he’s going to be nervous,’’ Doherty said. “But Stew is a gamer. When game time comes, he’s locked in. He’s a good player. He’s long enough and he’s done some good work on the greens with Crens🌱haw, Jordan and💜 Adam Scott.’’
Doherty said “it was rather easy’’ for Hagestad to remain am𓂃at🃏eur.
“Growing up and playing against Jordan and Justin, you see the writing on the wall,’’ Doherty said. “Stew has matured so much in his four years since graduating college. He’s a late bloomer. Being a pro is a major commitmeওnt. I don’t think he wants that lifestyle. He’s very happy and content with himself playing amateur golf.’’
Hageꦚstad said his plans after the Masters consist of trying to qualify for the Walker Cup team and then going to graduate school.
“This week has been an adjustm♛ent,’’ Hagestad said. “It’s obviously different than other events, but every day you feel more comfortable, and I think when tournament time comes, just knowing myself and how my body reacts and my emotions, I think we’ll be able to lock in a little bit.’’