McCauley and Johnson Ready to Take on Augusta at Drive, Chip and Putt Finals

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  It’s not often that a junior golfer gets the opportunity to fulfill the lifelong dream of many and play one of the world’s most prestigious golf courses. But along with that once in a lifetime privilege, 13-year-old Isabella McCauley also learned an important life lesson.

McCauley and fellow Minnesotan Jack Johnson were among the eight qualifiers from the regional at Hazeltine National Golf Club in September that will join a field of 80 players to complete in the finals of the 2017 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Following a third-place finish at the regional qualifier in 2014, McCauley again advanced to the regional qualifier at Hazeltine National Golf Club in 2015 and after the putting portion of the competition, thought she had won by a single point to advance to the national championship.

Instead McCauley finished in a tie for first place in the Girls’ 12-13 Division and lost a tiebreaker, watching her hopes of going to Augusta vanish almost instantly.

“It was difficult because I was doing really well and it was the highest I had scored through all of the qualifiers,” McCauley said. “I hit a bad 30-foot putt and I added up the scores wrong in my head and thought I had won by one point. My dad came up and said he thought I tied, so we went over the rules really quick and I ended up finishing second.

“It was really hard for me. Every morning I’d wake up and think, ‘I could be going to Augusta.’ As time went on it passed but it took quite a while.”

The last thing McCauley wanted to do after a heartbreaking loss was to play more golf, but her father, Sean, had already committed both to play a charity tournament for a young boy with Down syndrome later that day.

“It was still really hard for her, and was for a couple days but then you see people with bigger issues that are always smiling. That was a great day,” Sean McCauley said.

“That definitely put that loss into perspective—it really helped,” Isabella recalled. “I definitely learned not to give up. You only get nine shots at the Drive, Chip and Putt so anything can happen with one of those shots to throw it off. I’ve learned to stay committed and not get too ahead of the next shot.”

A year later McCauley advanced to the regional at Hazeltine for a third time and sat in third place after two disciplines before earning 60 points during the putting competition to finish on top of the Girls’ 12-13 Division by four points.

“After I moved through sub-regions and was going back to the regional at Hazeltine, about two weeks before it kind of hit me and then I was kind of freaked out if it would happen again," she said. "I started practicing really hard because I knew if I was going to lose again, I was going to lose putting everything into it. I think I was more nervous for that [qualifier] than I will be at Augusta.

“It’s been hard to wait. Especially this week—I’ve had no sleep—I’m really excited for it,” McCauley said Tuesday. “I just want to enjoy every minute of it because before you know it, it’s going to be over. You want make sure you have those memories. I’m hoping top-3 but I’m just going to do my best and have fun.”

In the six months since qualifying, McCauley said trips to the Braemar Golf Dome in Edina or the Midwest Golf Dome in Maplewood five or six days a week have allowed her to work on her skills and maintain muscle memory.

McCauley, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., started swinging a golf club when she was 6-years-old and played in her first tournament two years later. By the time she was 10 she was completely engrossed with the game. Given options to play other sports, McCauley was set on playing golf.

“My dad got me into golf because he wanted a partner he could play with the rest of his life. He tells me all the time that I’ve surpassed him. The first time I beat him I was 11—I was playing with my friends and was just trying to beat them, but I shot 3-under the first nine and then I shot even on the next nine. I had two birdies through four holes and everyone said, ‘Maybe we should just try to beat Bella.’ My dad loved it.

“I love competing; I love competition and the pressure. I think I can handle my nerves pretty well and I just love that kind of atmosphere. For whatever reason I get nervous practicing beforehand, but after I hit my first drive I just begin to enjoy it. After the first shot you calm down.”

With one goal already checked off her list, McCauley said she hopes to one day play on the LPGA Tour.

“For right now I just want to play year-by-year and focus on the next event and not get too far ahead of myself.”

Upon returning from her appearance at the national championship, McCauley will play her first season of varsity golf for Simley High School next week.

The road to Augusta wasn’t quite as stressful for Johnson who had home field advantage during the regional at Hazeltine in September.

A freshman at Chaska High School, Johnson lives just minutes from the course and finished his second year as a caddy prior to punching his ticket to the finals.

“I hit two great drives to start and that kind of set the tone,” Johnson said of his start to the qualifier last fall. “I wasn’t that nervous, to be honest, and I didn’t think I played that well. It didn’t really sink in until later that night.

“I get to caddie for some great members here who are great guys and they really help you a lot and tell you things that will help you not just on the course, but lessons that will help you for the rest of your life. It’s a great job.”

Johnson admitted the training period when he first started at Hazeltine wasn’t easy, but after some long hours in the caddy shack, he finally began to see more of the course.

“I spent a lot of mornings working to become a higher-ranked caddy and some days I didn’t even get out. This year I was able to get loops whenever I want.”

His hard work on and off the course has been evident having only played the game for four years since being introduced to the game by his father. But success has come quickly, and a trip to last year’s Class AAA state tournament as an eighth grader has been his favorite golf memory to date.

Earning a spot in the championship just weeks before the Ryder Cup was to be played at Hazeltine, Johnson received a congratulatory text message from American vice captain and fellow Minnesotan Tom Lehman, who hoped Johnson’s appearance Sunday is the first of many trips to Augusta.

Along with chatting up American players at the biggest golf event ever played in the state, Johnson caddied for Kurt Russell during the celebrity matches.

In the six months since he qualified, Johnson has been able to use the facilities at Hazeltine to stay sharp during the winter months.

“I’ve been thinking about it every day but I’ve been practicing at Hazeltine—they have a nice putting green inside and I hit balls on the simulator. You can’t really go outside,” he said. “I’m just going to enjoy it. I want to focus on what I have to do, but I just want to enjoy the experience.”