AGA NEWS
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
2017
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DNEPOI NIVIO
MASON ANDERSEN
AGA NEWS
Andersen’s ‘experience’ leads to POY honors for 2017
n BY JOHN DAVIS C
onsistency was the name of Mason Andersen’s golf game in 2017, particularly in big events.
His season was highlighted by
an appearance in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills and ended with the Arizona State freshman being named the AGA Player of the Year. “I managed to post good finishes in
all of the AGA majors I played in and I think that was kind of the overall theme for me,” Andersen said.
30 | AZ GOLF Insider | PREVIEW 2018
“I didn’t win as much as I would
like, which is something I hope to change in 2018, but I did shoot consistently good scores, which is encouraging. I think the wins will come with experience and maturity.” Andersen, a Chandler Hamilton
graduate, won the San Tan Amateur and teamed with best friend Brock Goyen to win the Arizona Four-Ball title. He finished second in the Tempe
Amateur, tied for third in the Players Cup, tied for fourth in the AGA Championship and reached the semifinals of the Arizona Amateur before losing, 2 and 1, to Chad Wilcox, formerly of Wake Forest. Andersen finished 10th in the Arizona Stroke Play, an event he won in 2016. He also took second place in
qualifying for the Pacific Coast Amateur and U.S. Open, where he missed the cut by 1 shot but finished ahead of the likes of Dustin Johnson, Rory
McIlroy, Jason Day and Jon Rahm. “That was a great experience and one
I hope to build on,” Andersen said. “As far as pressure, the only time I felt that was outside the ropes. Once I had a club in my hands, I actually felt pretty calm and that’s kind of how it’s always been. “I calm down once the round starts
and it just becomes golf. Before the tournament and between rounds is when I feel it. I did get a little nervous on the first tee, but I kept telling myself that it was just another tournament, although a pretty big tournament. ” While Andersen was thrilled
to tee it up with the best players in the world, he said he tried to keep that in perspective as well. “It was a lot of fun playing in an
event with guys who have accomplished so much, but I never really felt in awe of them,” he said. “That’s probably because my plans for the future are to be playing against those guys on a regular basis.” n
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