U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill returns to Augusta National as one to watch

The Robert Cox trophy, one of the oldest and most beautiful trophies in all of golf, doesn’t travel well. Megan Schofill buckled it up in her car to take it home over Christmas break. She’ll take it back in May after she leaves Auburn so that her home club, Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville, Georgia, can enjoy it for a few months before this year’s edition of the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Auburn went all out to celebrate Schofill’s achievement, honoring her on the field during a football game, on the court during a basketball game and with a dinner at the university president’s house attended by 200 supporters. The athletic director, John Cohen, even had a painting made for the fifth-year senior who became the first Tiger to win the title at Bel-Air Country Club.

It took Schofill six appearances at the Women’s Amateur before she won it all. Next week, when the 22-year-old tees it up at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, she’ll be a different player than she was last spring.

“I proved to myself that I’m capable of a lot more than I really knew,” said Schofill, who tied for 14th last year after carding a 4-under 32 on the front nine at Augusta National (her back nine).

The Augusta National Women’s Amateur trophy was designed in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. The bowl, spun from sterling silver and a 24K yellow gold vermeil, features the namesake flowers of each hole at Augusta National. The wooden base is made from a Magnolia tree.

While the original trophy remains at Augusta National year-round, each winner receives a replica trophy, similar to what’s done for the Masters Tournament.

It, too, would look like nice buckled up in Schofill’s front seat.

At this year’s ANWA, Schofill’s boyfriend, C.J. Easley, will be her on bag April 3-6 for the fifth edition of event. Easley is a senior on the Ole Miss golf team, and the couple have been dating for four years. Schofill relied on Easley’s laid-back demeanor inside the ropes at the Women’s Am.

“The only thing I had to do was get up and hit the shot,” she said of that week in Bel-Air.

Easley has also attended a number of Schofill’s lessons back home with David Jackson, Schofill’s next-door neighbor and a former PGA Tour player. Schofill says Jackson, who now works in medical sales, is the sole reason she loves golf deep in her soul. They work often together when she’s home from school.

Schofill said she’s currently working on the same things she’ll probably be working on for the rest of her life. One of those areas is the sequence of her swing, as her hips often get in a hurry.

“I always try to think of a paint brush,” said Schofill. “Smooth like a paint brush, if you were painting something.”

Head coach Melissa Luellen said Schofill came to Auburn already a beautiful ball-striker but has worked to elevate other areas of her game. In her first team meeting freshman year, Luellen was going through the pin sheet and advising when to take one on.

“It was just like a foreign language to her,” recalled Luellen. “She was like, ‘I don’t think I can play that way. I like to go for pins.’ ”

Needless to say, Schofill no longer goes for every pin. She’s more patient, which is helpful at a place like Champions Retreat, where the first two rounds of the ANWA are played. Her short game has improved, too.

The next month will be a busy stretch for Schofill as her team heads to the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens this week. She’ll then drive to Augusta with Easley on Sunday night. After the ANWA, Schofill heads to the SECs the next week in Florida and will then head directly to the Chevron Championship in Texas to compete in the first of four majors.

The trappings that come with a U.S. Women’s Amateur victory are life-changing, but none more important than the boost of self-belief.

“It kind of solidified a lot of things for me personally,” said Schofill, who looks to join Rose Zhang as the only players to win both prestigious titles.

Augusta awaits.