For Justin Hastings, the start of The Masters was no ordinary Thursday.
“I would come to my parents with a sickness. And it took them about two years to catch on,” Hastings said in a press conference Monday. “Eventually, that just became a thing in my household that the Thursday of The Masters, Justin would stay home.”
This day off has quickly turned into the experience of a lifetime, where he will compete at Augusta National for the biggest achievement in golf, the green jacket.
San Diego State’s senior star golfer has progressively made a huge name for himself by having one of the most successful careers in school history, currently being ranked No. 12 in the PGA Tour University Rankings.
A few notable accolades throughout Hastings’s time at SDSU include two All-Mountain West and PING All-West Region appearances in his sophomore and junior years. He also appeared on the 2024-25 Haskins Award Fall Watch List, making him a top male U.S. collegiate golfer.
Most significantly, he holds the lowest career scoring average in recorded program history at 71.28 over 120 rounds, since at least the 1993-94 season. This puts him just ahead of SDSU alumni and World No. 3 Xander Schauffele, with a 71.5 average from 2013-15.
However, this year has brought a new level of accomplishment to his path of being on the PGA Tour. On Jan. 18, Hastings shot a 72 in his final round to claim the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship by one stroke. This victory automatically qualified him to play in The Masters, The U.S. Open, and The Open this season.
“To play in three majors while you’re in school…is such a special experience,” Schauffele said. “I would really try and tell him to enjoy it and, you know, if he wants to be a pro golfer, this is the world that he’s going to enter.”
Shortly after, he made his first PGA Tour start at the Mexico Open on Feb. 20, where he not only made the cut, but finished T13 at 13-under par.
Although his second start didn’t result similarly, missing the cut at the Puerto Rico Open, all his hard work led to this point. An opportunity to drive down Magnolia Lane as a competitor is something every golfer dreams of.
“I started golfing at seven. I want to say straight away, I was watching The Masters. I’m a total Masters nut, and I have been since I was really young,” Hastings said.
Playing in a major tournament after just two previous starts is not something many PGA Tour players can say. As the final amateur to qualify for The Masters, Hastings will experience his most challenging test of golf yet.
Not only is he competing against the best golfers in the world and playing at one of the most famous, challenging courses, he will also be battling with the nerves that come with being a first-timer at Augusta National.
The structural challenge of each hole and adapting to the weather conditions will be quite a difficult task. However, being able to control his emotions will be apparent to making it to the weekend and competing for the Low Amateur winner.
But to put it into perspective, Hastings has already grasped one of the biggest achievements in golf, that is, playing in the biggest golf tournament in the world. And yet, he is still a college student.
“I’m definitely going to take a few days to kind of just be on the property and soak it up and realize how special it is until, you know, it’s time to kind of start grinding and take care of business,” Hastings said.
Hastings will tee off with 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson and Nick Taylor on Thursday at 12:11 p.m. EST.
