Augusta National Women’s Amateur Julia Johnson on the Birdie Bunch

In this episode of the Birdie Bunch Podcast, Kennedy and NCAA All-American Julia Johnson paint an image of being two of the first females to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amatuer event.  They also discuss the national championship and the transition after college.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Birdie Bunch is a presentation of I Heart Radio
and the College Athletes Network. Can You dig It? Can
You dig It? You digg? Hey everybody, this is Kennedy

(00:39):
Swan and you're listening to The Birdie Bunch on the
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or comments about what you might want to hear on

(01:00):
the show this week. We're in for a special treat.
I have my teammate and write me Julia Johnson on
Hey Julia, Hi, thanks for having me, Thanks for being here. So, um,
tell us where you're at right now? Are you still
in Georgia? Yeah, So I'm in Georgia right now. I
came here straight from working at the US Girls Junior

(01:23):
Um to pick up my new little dog, and then um,
I'm headed back, going to move out of my place
in Oxford and then um head up to the USA
to work at Chambers Bany. So running around a little bit,
but nice. So, UM, tell us a little bit about
kind of what you're doing now. So you graduated this

(01:45):
last year and then right after graduation you took a
job with the Golf Channel. Kind of tell us a
little bit more about that. Yeah, So I graduated from
ole miss with UM a master's in Sports Analytics, and
I got my m b A with you and I
UM too Yeah well sure, but um yeah, So then

(02:07):
I just went straight into like the working world. I
made the decision I wasn't gonna go pro, which was
kind of a tough decision, but I think in the
end it was a good decision for me, um overall.
And so I got I was really fortunate to get
an opportunity with the Golf Channel to do some on
course UM analysis stuff. I'm a walker, so I basically
get sent out with groups and just do shot by

(02:28):
shot analysis and then I'll do a little some interviews
here and there. But it's just been really fun and
I've really really enjoyed it so far. Yeah, well, at
least to my understanding, you've had a lot of positive
feedback with it. And I got to watch you some
UM at nationals since you got to go out and
commentate for that and it was so funny, Like I
was sitting there watching with a couple of my friends

(02:50):
because I was at a tournament and just like sitting
there listening and I was like, wait, that sounds like Julia.
Just like different from like going to seeing you like
on the screen to like, you know, voicing over people
hitting and stuff. Yeah, it was such a cool experience
at Nationals because that was kind of just my first
time shadowing and learning how Mike Pack works and how

(03:12):
the whole production side of it works. And I was
fortunate enough to get in um on that last round
the finals, which was so cool. And if there was
any place I'd want to start this kind of new journey,
would definitely be there with all the happy memories that yeah,
you know, I think we have so many great memories
there together and just winning a national championship and you're

(03:34):
giving me the lp LPGA exemption and me like bawling
publicly on national television. You know. That's that was such
a such a fun like, so I'm being back there,
it was so it was crazy to be on the
other side of it. But um, yeah, that was such

(03:54):
a fun week and I couldn't think of anyone who
would deserve it more. And with everything you're doing out
on the absence for now, I think it was definitely
the right decision. Well you know, that meant the world
to me. And it's so funny. I look back to
like the interviews that we gave afterwards and us both
being like, oh yeah, like, well we bridesmaids and each
other's weddings and now here we go at least what

(04:16):
one of us is ready And I don't think you're
too far behind one of us. I don't know. It
so exciting, I know, so that's gonna be so much fun.
But um yeah, so okay, let's kind of transition just
a little bit. So tell us a little bit about
like recruiting UM on your end and what that looked
like for you, um and kind of like when you

(04:37):
committed to ole Miss and then um, well when you
committed to l s U and then kind of switched
to ole Miss and what that looks like. Yeah, I
have a different um like obviously a little bit of
different journey with recruiting, as some people do. But I
committed really young back when we were in the recruiting process.
The int double I hadn't made that role that you
couldn't be recruited until your junior year and commit, and

(04:59):
so we saw a lot of UM boys and girls
committing when we were like fourteen, fifteen years old, and
so UM I was unfortunately one of those kids who
kind of committed to early of the hometown kid backroom.
Grew up an LSU fan my whole life, and I
really didn't know what I want. My parents weren't really

(05:20):
like very well versed in the whole recruiting process. So
I had taken one bad visit and I was like,
I'm not going to find anywhere to go blah ball
and so, and I loved L s U. My whole
family went there. So I kind of made a decision
really early on to commit the l s U. And
I was really happy about it. But I think you
don't really know what you want when you're fifteen years old,

(05:41):
and it's hard to know what you want when you're eighteen.
But the closer I got to going to college into
doing all that, I realized I was like, well, I
kind of I kind of want to get away. I
want to get out of that RUSI and I just
I went and had a a visit with two of
my friends that were committing to Old Miss. It was
an l s U Ole Miss football game, and I
just say this all the time, but I just fell

(06:01):
in love with Oxford. I got out of the the
little double decker bus in the square and people got,
this is what a college town should be like, like
it's small, it's quite, it's it was everything I like
that Batteries wasn't in a sense, and so I really
just fell in love with it, and it just everything
fell into place perfectly with a new coach coming in
with Corey, and I just I wanted something new and

(06:24):
something exciting, and I think that she had all of
that in my mind, and so it obviously worked out
pretty well. But it was a big risk because I
had a great scholarship at l s U and it
was very unknown what what that was gonna be like
had I decommitted. My mom it was pretty smart and
she made me still go on a few visits um
after I de cocommitted tom LSU because she was like,

(06:46):
we're not doing this beginning, not just committing this, So
she made me go on a few visits, but kind
of just made me lovell Miss even even more, which
I think was good, and I ended up committing to them,
um when I was a junior, and so it all
worked out for the US. I think, yeah, oh yeah,
well you have a couple of rings to show for it. Um,
you have. But I think you make a very valid

(07:09):
point of like, we don't necessarily know what we want it, like,
you know, fourteen fifteen sixteen. I I kind of fell
into the same thing, and I committed as a sophomore
in high school as well to Clemson, and then obviously
I had the coaching switch, and so that kind of
put me in the same situation of just like, well,
this isn't really what I was envisioning when I was,
you know, fifteen years old. So I don't even have

(07:30):
my driver's license yet, and I'm making decisions on where
I should go to school exactly, and it's it's just
not it's not really fair to the kids. I don't say,
like I called kids like we're so far out of
it now. But that was one of the really good
things I think the n C double A did because
we just saw, I mean, we need people that were
killing when they were thirteen twelve years old. I mean,

(07:50):
it's just it was so young, and it's you just
you really can't know what you want. But then you
feel so much pressure to commit because all of your
friends are committing, the the scholarships are going away. There's
not as many scholarships this not so I think it
was such a good thing in c Double what they
did was push that back because it lets kids grow
up a little bit. You're able to maybe play a

(08:11):
few different sports if you want to, and kind of
just chill out on the whole thing. You don't have
to commit by the time you're twelve years old, which
is really nice. Yeah, exactly, I completely agree. Just gives
them a little bit more time to kind of think
about it, and I think to be prepared, like for
the transition from high school golf to college golf, which
so do you having like committed to illness a little

(08:32):
bit later, which again I think was definitely smart on
your end. Um, how did that kind of help you
in the transition from going from college or um high
school to college golf because you came out swinging, you
were like freshmen of the year, um, you know, all
American throughout your career, Like I feel, how did that
kind of help you being able to transition a little quicker. Yeah,

(08:55):
I think, Um, I definitely had a lot of goals
going into ole. Miss. I was never really super high
profile junior golfer. I never made like a windhom Cup team.
I never was a role at a j G A player.
I didn't even really I never played in an invitational
a j j A tournament. So, um, I was kind
of under the radar a little bit. And I just

(09:16):
felt like I had so much to prove because I
was recruited by good schools, a lot of SEC schools,
but it was more of like, well she had the
high ceiling like this this miss, and um, I just
had never gotten those acolades in high school like a
lot of my peers did. And so I don't know.
I I started doing a dull enrollment program the last
two years of high school because it allowed me to

(09:38):
really get on the golf course. I did three hours
of like college hours a day and then one hour
of high school hour to like stay eligible basically, And um, yeah,
I just really put a lot of effort into focusing
on like that next chapter, which it's not for everyone.
I know a lot of people like high school or
some of the best years of your life and if

(09:59):
that's not for you, and it's not, but for me,
I really wanted to kind of do it the right way.
Wanted to go into college prepared. I knew have some
stuff I needed to work on in my swing, and
so I was like, you know what, let's just go
all in. Let's really fix the stuff my swing. And
I think that looking back, that really set me up
for success because I got to illness and I had
the foundation, and I think Corey and my then coach

(10:21):
Drew really just instill that like course management, um, like
playing under under pressure things like that. But I had
the foundation had to swing because I had invested the
last two years of high school basically into just really
working on my game a lot. Yeah, you know, I
think that's definitely like um something that like you know,

(10:43):
you can be a late bloomer. I was kind of
the same way in high school, you know, where like
I maybe got into like one or two invitationals like
my senior year, and that was really because like people
had dropped out and I was just like on the
alternative and so totally and it can it can, really,
I talked about this all the time. It's like with
the A j G A. Now it's like if you're
not one of those like top A j G A players,

(11:05):
it can really diminish your confidence because you know you're
a good player. You have it won one of the
A j G events to become like one of those
invitational every time players, and it's like, but you know
you have the talent. I think that's what's so great
about colleges. It's like level playing field, Like you're gonna
play with girls that are right two thousand and wagger
and you're gonna play with girls that are right five.
You can go out every week, can beat him if
you want so. I appreciate what the A j G

(11:28):
A does because they're they're good for junior golf. I
think they provide a lot of like a lot of tournaments,
but it's just it for me, it really kind of
diminished my like confidence a little bit not playing against
those girls and not being considered one of the best.
So it kind of put you can kind of give
you a little like motivation and going into college and
be like, you know what, I am as good as

(11:49):
these girls, like I can't play with them, yeah exactly.
And it's not like you're gonna have like the top
five players in a role x tournament that are all
like in the exact same conference, are playing in the
same tournament. So yeah, I think it's all really good points. Um.
So in the next segment, we're gonna um kind of
be walking you through um the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

(12:09):
Both Julia and I qualified UM, and we're gonna just
kind of walk you through our experience there. Uh So
again you're listening to the Bertie Bunch. I am Kennedy
Swan and this is the College Athletes Network. Welcome back

(12:59):
to the Bertie Bun on the College Athletes Network. This
is Kennedy Swan with my guest Julia Johnson. Make sure
to subscribe to my podcast so you don't miss the show.
In the last segment, we talked about Julia kind of
committing to um Ole miss after d committing from l
s U, kind of some of the things that she
did to really get prepared for college. And as we promised,

(13:20):
we're going to kind of get started talking about the
Augusta National Women's Amateur. So a little bit of history, Julia,
do you know when Augusta National was founded? Oh? My gosh,
I do not. I didn't either, so I had to actually,
I had to look it up. So a little fun
fact a guest. The Nationals founded in nineteen thirty two
and the Masters started in nineteen thirty four, with the

(13:44):
only other competitive tournament at Augusta National, the Augusta National
Women's Amateur, starting in twenty nineteen. And so, Julia, UM, remind,
did you get invited to the twenty nineteen the first
ever annual? No, so I missed the first, the first
ever one, and then I got invited and then yeah,

(14:05):
and then that one got canceled due to COVID unfortunately,
and then two yes, okay, so that's what Um, Yeah,
with the twenty nineteen one, Like I kind of remember,
and I don't know if it was the same for you,
but like I had my teammate back when I was
at Clemson, Alice Houston, had qualified for the twenty nineteen
and law and I just remember looking back and being like,

(14:27):
oh my gosh, like this is such a prestigious event,
Like I couldn't imagine getting to play there, Like how
good do you have to be to you know, qualify
for the august The National Women's Ameter totally. I think
that was that one was a little bitter sweet for me.
I think I missed out on it, but by like
because my then coach was like really invested in me

(14:49):
getting into it, and I missed it by like maybe
two or three wagger positions, you know how that all works.
It's and I was like, I was really painful because
I was like, oh, I'm gonna play it, like and
it just felt so like almost unachievable. When you don't
get invited, you're like, oh my god, this is it's
the biggest thing in golf, it's I mean, and so
it feels far out of reach when you don't get invited,

(15:10):
and it's every female that amateur in the world wants
to play in it, so it really is extremely prestigious.
And like you said, it's you kind of question. You're
like can I get in this? How good? And like
and then you get invited and you're like, okay, like
we well we can do this. But it's just and
you I think you feel that or like the whole

(15:31):
time you're there too of like I know, I thought
it like wow, am I am I good enough to
be here? Like like which is you should? That's difficult
in itself to get to a tournament and like feel
a little overwhelmed, but it's just such a special event.
You want to be so grateful to be there and
for the experience exactly. Yeah. And I was kind of
in the same boat with you in twenty nineteen with

(15:52):
me and I miss it by like one or two
agger positions. And I know, like seeing you like qualify,
that was something that I loved having you as a
teammate because we would always push each other, and like
seeing you qualify and having me miss it just like
made me want to work harder to make it the
next year. Um. But I definitely agree with what you're

(16:12):
saying if it's hard when you get there and it's
just this huge field, like magnificent event, and you just
like almost feel a little out of place of just
like look at where I am and trying to tell
yourself that you really deserve to be there, exactly. It's
it's so it was so difficult for me to manage,
and I know it's difficult for a lot of girls there,

(16:34):
and it's because for me, I would see these girls,
like almost all of them at collegiate events and never
think twice about it and then you get there and
you're like, well, yeah, exactly exactly, And I think that, um,
that's such a negative way to kind of tackle it on.
And if there's any girls that are going to play
in it, and maybe it's your first time, and I

(16:56):
would just not view it that way. It's a golf tournament,
and it's like, if you're playing in it, you are
meant to be there, You're good enough to be there,
and you can win it just as much as a
girl saying next you can. And that's kind of hindsight
looking back. I know it's a lot easier said than done,
but I think taking that approach in it, you're gonna
play such better golf because it's you cannot approach a
golf course scared of it. You can't approach a field

(17:18):
scared of it. You're meant to be that you got
invited just as much as the number one player in
the world got invited, you know what I mean. So
it's like you're meant to be there, and you're meant
to be there because you can win it. So I
think if I were to do it again, I would
have maybe taken that approach a little bit more. Yeah,
maybe maybe Yeah, maybe there's a good chance, I mean,
since you're still technically an amateur that this next year

(17:40):
you you might be able to get into it, which
would be a a fun way kind of like Amelia
has done, you know, over the last couple of years
of just play a tournament here and there just to
be able to go back to Augusta um, which is awesome,
but so have been. She's been the kind of blueprint
for doing both broadcasting and I mean, and she's she's

(18:02):
competed at the and one I mean almost wanted two
years ago. So that would be really cool, would be
really fun maybe to walk the course and maybe a
little walk in an analysis on other people too if
I don't make it back. So just such a special
place I think if you're involved in it in any way,
you feel lucky. Yeah, even if you're not playing, just

(18:22):
to be there. I mean, I had so many friends
that reached out to me about, you know, trying to
get tickets and like Ben Rush, you know, harping down,
harping on us constantly trying to get tickets, so um,
which yeah, that was another thing that was kind of crazy.
So in twenty um one, the year that we both
made it um the limited amount of guests due to

(18:45):
COVID and like the whole travel procedure, like having to
go get our noses swabbed beforehand, and like just the
nervousness leading up to it of like, oh my gosh,
what if I test positive for COVID and I can't play?
And um and wa, like that was something that we
had to deal with for the whole semester. It was
a very um and we did it and instea double

(19:06):
A and that national's I did it and it's but
especially at a wall because it's it's a one, it's
a once in a lifetime chance, an opportunity, and I
think that, I mean, we all went into that room.
You get tested, you get your rapid, you can't go
anywhere until you're negative, and it's just so anxiety inducing
because you want to play so badly and all of

(19:27):
the protocols and everything. I mean, at the end of
the day, it's worth it because of what a prestigious
event it is, but it definitely is pretty scary. We
had a we have a friend Megan Scoupolle who has
positive there and then had to go and re test
and thank goodness, she was negative the second time, but
I mean, I can't imagine how her heart dropped whenever

(19:48):
she would they told her she was positive that first time,
because it's just all you want to do is play
in the event, and so they're gonna she was able to.
But yeah, that was a kind of when we're coming
out of COVID was a still a pretty scary time. Yeah,
for sure. Um. I do have to say though, with
the whole like limited guests, it was kind of nice
because I feel like it made it such an intimate

(20:09):
setting of like I took my parents and like you
took your parents, and like we both got to have
like Zack and Corey Caddy for us, and I think
that just made it much more of a like something
like somewhat of a special experience for the people that
did get to come with us. I totally think so
you and I were fortunate because the year that we

(20:30):
played together, you couldn't pick your practice trying Augusta, your
um who you played with in that group, and you
and I had finished so close together in like the
qualifying rounds and stoke play that we actually got to
play together. And I remember hearing that from Corey and
it was like it was like, oh my gosh, what
fate is this? Like we because it was just randomly

(20:52):
selected who you would play with. So me and you
are two coaches. We had both of our parents there
and it was just like, okay, well we didn't make
the Cup, but I mean, how special is this that
we got to sports together? Yeah? Just and especially like
how our families. Yeah, I have gotten over the year
and years, and just like to have everyone they're all
together for like you know, what we have strived towards.

(21:13):
It was definitely such a special event to like be
there together. It was really I mean, just fate. It
was so special. I think, yeah, absolutely so walk us
through champions Retreat real quick. Um, how difficult is that
golf course? I think it's I think it's extremely difficult.

(21:34):
I think it's kind of how you approach it. It It
was a lot warmer this year, I think. Unfortunately I
just didn't have my best game, but it was warmer,
and um, I think every year the greens will get
a little bit softer. When we played it together, I
mean they just greens. It was like hitting balls on
concrete and coming in iron yeah five yards and it

(21:58):
was like rolling like fifty yards off to act and
I'm like, well, I can't hit it any higher and
softer than that. Yeah, It's just it was so difficult.
It's such a um Even if you have good course management,
which I think both both you and I do now
after playing under Korean's act for so long, I think
even if you have good course management, you still will
hit a shot and get a break and you're like,

(22:19):
how did that ball end up right there? Like it's
just how did that ball roll thirty thirty yards off
the green? And I think more than anything, it's just
a test of patience, because I know, I like, you
can start off the front and you're playing well and
then your rattle off two or three bogies and you're like,
how to get it back? You gotta get back. But
you don't have to get it back. You just don't
need to make any more bogies. I think in some circumstances,

(22:42):
you will play golf course and you can't get it back.
You can't be like, Okay, I'm gonna go one nunder
three or three. Here, I'm gonna go one nunder three
or three, and I'm gonna get it back to even
you can do that on some golf courses. I don't
think no, I don't think that's of course where you're like, Okay,
I can make two bradies in my next six. Because
if you are pushing for two birdies in your next six,
I guarantee you're gonna make two doubles in your next six.

(23:04):
So it's not one of those golf courses that you
can kind of attack. You have to let the birdies
come to you. And I fred the amount of errors totally,
and I like, it's just minimize theirs and let the
bodies come to you. There are birdie opportunities out there. There
There are some par fives where you can get you
can get it there, you can push it up there.

(23:25):
There's some par fours that are shorter if you hit
the fairway and they can come. But if you're pushing
for them, I think that that's really where your your
errors and your mistakes are going to kind of come
into play. Yeah. Absolutely. Um, Well, that segment we kind
of covered a little bit of a look inside Champions
Retreat and what the COVID protocols looked like. And in

(23:47):
the next segment we're gonna finally get to actually playing
AUGUSTA National what the dinner Champions was like, UM, what
it was like to meet chairman Fred litt Ridley, UM,
and that kind of stuff. So again you're listening to
the Birdie Bunch. I'm Kennedy Swan and this is the
College Athletes Network. H Welcome back to the Bertie Bunch

(24:45):
on the College Athletes Network. This is Kennedy Swan, UM
with my guest Julia Johnson. Be sure to subscribe to
my podcast you don't miss the show. In the last segment,
we introduced the Augusta National Women's Amateur kind of what
it felt like tax actually get into the field, UM,
the travel restrictions there with covid um, kind of the
difficulty of Champions retreat. And in this one segment, Julian

(25:09):
and I are going to kind of clue you in
a little bit on how special of an experience, UM,
the august National Women's Ametter really is. So Jude kind
of walk us through the dinner of Champions, like that
night before the first round, UM, getting ready to go
out and play the next day. But the first time
that we get to set foot at Augusta National, it's

(25:32):
just really special. I think you're you're nervous to get
onto the property. You don't really know what you're gonna expect.
I mean, it's it's also a full circle moment of
like this is what people dream of, Like we're getting
to go, We're getting to have dinner at Augusta National.

(25:52):
I mean people in their whole lives, they're never going
to get to do this. So it's just it's so
cool to get to know that, like you get to
do something that people would just die for. And so
we get you get dressed up really cute and you
all shuttle in. Um, no phones, which was kind of different,
but it's just how a guest National is. And don't

(26:12):
forget I had my little, uh my little purple digital
camera that I got to take had in like ten years.
But they're like digital cameras are okay, just no phones,
yeah exactly, And it's it's, um, you want to have
something to take memories of. I mean, it's just such
an especially in today's day nighter for like if you
didn't take a picture of it didn't happen. And so um,

(26:36):
but yeah, the dinner was just so special. I mean,
the chairman's there, you have just these amazing people, um,
and you're just Actually in twenty two of this year,
we had we ate dinner with like sponsors of the
like Mercedes, Bins and Rolex. They had ambassadors there and
that was really cool to sit at a table and

(26:57):
just talk to them, and you get to sit with
with your friends, like this year I sat with Rachel
Heck and a ton of Stone and just really fun conversations.
You're you're nervous about upcoming tournament, but you're excited and yeah,
just a lot of great. Yeah what we had? Was it? Um? Like,
what kind of fish did we have? Um? Was it?

(27:17):
It wasn't salmon? Was it some kind of like grilled
whitefish on like a bed of like resolve, And I
think it might have been like sea bass. Maybe. Just
the food was amazing steak and sea bass and advertisers.
I know that was like I look back on that
and I'm just like I got to sit in the

(27:37):
champions like, um, like at the dinner Champions, eating this
magnificent food, drinking a great glass of wine, surrounding the
friends Augusta National, Like how special is that? It's so cool?
It's just such a and it is cool that they
so everyone above age depending on they have your name

(27:57):
your name in your seat and stuff and penning on
your age. That will be a wine glass there, which
is just so cool because you kind of feel like
you're an adult a little bit. And you got to
wine at Augusta and just yeah, and they always mentioned
they're like, there will be the champion is in this room,
which is we'll kind of give you chills knowing that

(28:17):
the person who wins it, their their lives will be
changed forever. And so it's just a really fun experience.
And we actually got to go back to Augusta UM
this year that unfortunately you weren't able to go with us,
but we got to go play it again and we
got to eat again at Augusta and it is hands
down the best food I've all had in my life.
And what you get and it's so good, and I mean,

(28:41):
the dinner that they make us is just it's unbelievably good,
so so so special, so so. And then another really
cool event that we got to be a part of
was a night at Berkman's and Berkman's Place is kind
of um this big like hospitality area that Augusta National has,
which also people don't realize like how big the Augusta
National Property actually is it is humongous. But Berkman Place

(29:06):
is this kind of like historical um setting where they
walk you through history like all throughout the Masters and
the Majors. And they have like three or four different
restaurants in there with a bunch of specialty food. They've
got different putt put greens that represent like actual holes
at Augusta National Um. And they had a putting contest

(29:28):
for us, which was so much fun. Yeah, it was
so that Berkman's is so special and it was I
don't think it's anything you think of when you think
of you think of Augustina Nationalism is kind of like older,
kind of very traditional. And Berkman's you step in and
you feel like you're almost in like Epcot of Disney World.
Like every Yeah, every room is like a different like

(29:53):
um theme kind of a food and nationality and you
can get a burgner, you can get it all this
different stuff. It really if I had to describe it,
I would say like Augusta Nationals version of Epcot, which
is like so cool and so special and it's and
it's very um like I've heard it's extremely exclusive, like
that week it's the hardest ticket to get, Like presidents

(30:16):
and governors and all kinds of people go there. So
to get to go there too, I mean how special
is that? Yeah, they really do roll out the red
carpet for us. And I remember too, like the two cocktails,
the Transfusions and the Azaleas, which are still like two
of my favorite cocktails ever. And then I can't remember,
but they have a logger that that they brew in

(30:38):
house at Augusta National and it's only yeah, Augusta National, Yeah,
but I can't remember the name of it um And
they're like how cool that was that they like brew
their own logger, and like just it really, like all
of it just adds into the special feeling of like
you were a truly one of a kind place. I know.
I feel like they don't like to do anything like

(31:00):
half way. Like they're like, Okay, we want to serve
be it. We're gonna make it ourselves. We're gonna like
it's so it's so cool because it's it's they do
everything the right way. I mean, they go above and
beyond for everything they do, whether it be logger, whether
it be sushi, whether it be a burger, Like everything
is done so well and it was. That was such
a fun night. And I think that just adds into
like the whole week of a law. It's like, yes,

(31:23):
you're there to play golf, yes, or there to win
the tournament, but they do all these extra things that
make you it's just excited to be there. Kind of
like it's just a reward for playing good golf your
whole life, for getting your wagger to where it is
and let's have a fun week. Kind of is how
I viewed it a lot, which I think that's how
a lot of girls view it too. Yeah, of just
like really being able to enjoy the experience. Um to

(31:45):
Speaking of experiences, what would you say was your favorite
memory actually getting to play Augusta National, Like whether it
was the year that you and I played or this
last year, Like what was like your favorite memory about
actually getting to play the course? Like I'm a really
big like golf watcher, like I've watched Tiger and No One,

(32:07):
and like I just I knew the course like the
back of my hands, Like I could tell you everything
about the whole one to whole eighteen, and I just
to see it firsthand and to see tin and how
it drops off and just to see all of the
holes that you like, you know, I know them. I
know tends a super downhill dog like left, but it's

(32:27):
like to see it in person. I think when you
walk out the very first time, even after dinner, um,
and you walk out onto the property and you see
they like the expansive property, like how far it goes
back and how green it is. It just kind of
takes your breath away. And that was one of the
moments where I was like, oh my gosh. And then
actually hitting a t shot on like sixteen, maybe skipping

(32:49):
a ball on sixteen the pond or the lake in
front of sixteen, that was really cool because that's just
I mean, how many people in their life get to
do that, which was so cool. Yeah, I was actually
going to say that's definitely my favorite memory, especially because
we teet off the back first and so um the
ground was still kind of dewey and I didn't wear spikes,

(33:10):
so I was yeah, I was like on so much
of the downslope that I was like so scared that
I was going to face plant, and like the straight
into the water that I like actually like just hit
it right over the water, and I like yeah, and
I like posted. If you guys want to see this,
you can go to my Instagram and find it. It's
under my like I guess the National Post. But there's

(33:32):
a video of me trying to skip it and everyone
was like, man, I've never seen someone to try to
hit the ball in the water so hard and actually
not hit it in the water. Oh my gosh. If
you would have told you, like, I don't like, it's
just it's how golf fits. If you're trying not to
hit it in the water, it's gonna go in the water.
If you're trying to hit it in the water, it's
gonna go straight over it. Like, but it was so
like it's actually a lot more difficult than I feel

(33:53):
like people would think. Yeah, total in one there is like,
oh my gosh, so impressive, Like I don't know how
it's so it's it's such a I mean, it's it's
on it's unbelievable. It's so it's so difficult. It's a
lot more difficult than people may think. Yeah, oh for sure.
Well I think all of that really just attributes to

(34:15):
how amazing the August and Nash Woman's amateur is, how
great of a job they do running that tournament and
how that really should be Like every amateur female amateurs
dream is to get to that tournament because it is
a once in a lifetime experience. So thank you Julius
so much for being on with me today. It was
so awesome to talk to you. And um, if you

(34:39):
want to find Julia on social media, follow her as
a golf commentator. Jude, what's your instagram? My instagram is
Julia Claire j O eight. Yeah, follow along. I post
a lot of stuf when I'm at tournaments. And we're
headed up to Chambers Bay pretty soon, so that should
be a great event. I'm excited to see who gets
crown champion there. Yeah, that's gonna being a lot of fun.

(35:00):
Chambers Bay is awesome. You're in for a treat. And
these guys thanks for listening to The Birdie Bunch on
the College Athletes Network. Please subscribe so you don't miss
an episode. I am Kennedy Swan and we'll talk to
you soon. Can you dig it? Can you dig it?
Care you digg? The Birdie Bunch is a presentation of

(35:30):
I Her Radio and the College Athletes Network