University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Men's Golf
Photo by: Eric Miller
Know the Newcomers: Lincoln Johnson
9/27/2018 10:23:00 AM | Men's Golf
The Minnesota men's golf team welcomes four newcomers to the team for the 2018-19 season. GopherSports.com will sit down with each of them to get to know them better as they compete in their first season in the Maroon and Gold.
Up first, it's Lincoln Johnson, a freshman from Chaska, Minn. Johnson earned MSHSL All-State recognition in 2017 and tied for fourth at the Class AAA state tournament. His season scoring average of 73.0 as a junior was the second-lowest in Chaska High School history, behind only former Gopher standout Jon DuToit. Johnson was a four-time All-West Metro Conference honoree and five-time letterwinner. Johnson qualified for the last two U.S. Junior Amateur Championships, earning medalist honors with a 6-under round at 2017 qualifying.
GopherSports.com: When did you start playing golf?
Lincoln Johnson: "Just about as soon as I could walk. My parents and I, we moved to a golf course when I was four years old, and ever since then I've kind of been in and out of the golf course to now."
GS: When did you realize that you might be able to play golf collegiately?
LJ: "I kind of always believed it growing up, but there was never really a time that I knew specifically. I always told myself that I was going to grind and try to get there, because it's been something that I've been dreaming about since I was really young. If I had to put a time on it, maybe sophomore year [in high school]. I shot my first tournament round under par and it started going from there. As soon as I broke that barrier, it got easier and easier."
GS: How did you end up choosing Minnesota?
LJ: "Growing up in Minnesota, it's kind of always been a dream to come here and represent Minnesota. But I really fell in love with the coaching staff, Justin (Smith) and John (Carlson) are great and everything we have to offer here, with our new facility coming up, it just seemed like the right decision to come here."
GS: Have you noticed any differences between competing at the high school level and the college level?
LJ: "Huge difference. It's a lot more competitive now; tournaments are a lot more serious. Even practices are more serious, too. I feel like in high school we'd just go out and play nine holes or 18 holes and not really work on stuff, but now we're actually working on stuff. Whether it's short game, long game, putting, we're working on every aspect of our game."
GS: What would you say is the biggest strength of your game?
LJ: "I'd say the biggest strength of my game is my short game. I'm a really good putter, especially at the Gopher Invitational I made a lot of putts and it saved me on a couple of up and downs. That's definitely my strength. If I had a second one, it'd be my driving off the tee. I love hitting driver, and it might be one of the straightest clubs in my bag."
GS: You had success at the Junior Am level and at the high school level. How do you think playing at those high levels recently set you up for success here?
LJ: "College is totally different than those junior level tournaments. It's a totally different atmosphere and totally different competition, but the experience of playing in a big tournament like that will kind of get you prepared for what you're doing here in college."
GS: What was the experience like playing in your first collegiate tournament, the Gopher Invitational?
LJ: "It was really cool, especially since my first collegiate tournament was in Minnesota, 20 minutes from my house. I had a lot of friends and family that were able to come out and watch. That was really special to me and I thought that it was one of the greatest tournaments I've ever played in … first collegiate tournament, right there in Minnesota, it all just seemed to fall into place."
GS: What stood out to you about yourself during your first tournament experience?
LJ: "One thing for me is that I didn't get nervous at all, which I thought I was going to, with my first college tournament. But I didn't get nervous at all, I felt like I belonged there and I felt like I knew I could play with these guys. So I guess going forward I have to be confident in myself and confident in my game. I deserve to be here and I can play with these guys no matter who I'm up against."
Off the Course with Lincoln
Favorite course to play: Flint Hills in Andover, Kan.
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite TV show: "Feherty"
Favorite movie: The Fate of the Furious (Furious 8)
Favorite music artist: Kenny Chesney
Favorite sport other than golf: Hockey
Favorite golfer: Jordan Spieth
Up first, it's Lincoln Johnson, a freshman from Chaska, Minn. Johnson earned MSHSL All-State recognition in 2017 and tied for fourth at the Class AAA state tournament. His season scoring average of 73.0 as a junior was the second-lowest in Chaska High School history, behind only former Gopher standout Jon DuToit. Johnson was a four-time All-West Metro Conference honoree and five-time letterwinner. Johnson qualified for the last two U.S. Junior Amateur Championships, earning medalist honors with a 6-under round at 2017 qualifying.
GopherSports.com: When did you start playing golf?
Lincoln Johnson: "Just about as soon as I could walk. My parents and I, we moved to a golf course when I was four years old, and ever since then I've kind of been in and out of the golf course to now."
GS: When did you realize that you might be able to play golf collegiately?
LJ: "I kind of always believed it growing up, but there was never really a time that I knew specifically. I always told myself that I was going to grind and try to get there, because it's been something that I've been dreaming about since I was really young. If I had to put a time on it, maybe sophomore year [in high school]. I shot my first tournament round under par and it started going from there. As soon as I broke that barrier, it got easier and easier."
GS: How did you end up choosing Minnesota?
LJ: "Growing up in Minnesota, it's kind of always been a dream to come here and represent Minnesota. But I really fell in love with the coaching staff, Justin (Smith) and John (Carlson) are great and everything we have to offer here, with our new facility coming up, it just seemed like the right decision to come here."
GS: Have you noticed any differences between competing at the high school level and the college level?
LJ: "Huge difference. It's a lot more competitive now; tournaments are a lot more serious. Even practices are more serious, too. I feel like in high school we'd just go out and play nine holes or 18 holes and not really work on stuff, but now we're actually working on stuff. Whether it's short game, long game, putting, we're working on every aspect of our game."
GS: What would you say is the biggest strength of your game?
LJ: "I'd say the biggest strength of my game is my short game. I'm a really good putter, especially at the Gopher Invitational I made a lot of putts and it saved me on a couple of up and downs. That's definitely my strength. If I had a second one, it'd be my driving off the tee. I love hitting driver, and it might be one of the straightest clubs in my bag."
GS: You had success at the Junior Am level and at the high school level. How do you think playing at those high levels recently set you up for success here?
LJ: "College is totally different than those junior level tournaments. It's a totally different atmosphere and totally different competition, but the experience of playing in a big tournament like that will kind of get you prepared for what you're doing here in college."
GS: What was the experience like playing in your first collegiate tournament, the Gopher Invitational?
LJ: "It was really cool, especially since my first collegiate tournament was in Minnesota, 20 minutes from my house. I had a lot of friends and family that were able to come out and watch. That was really special to me and I thought that it was one of the greatest tournaments I've ever played in … first collegiate tournament, right there in Minnesota, it all just seemed to fall into place."
GS: What stood out to you about yourself during your first tournament experience?
LJ: "One thing for me is that I didn't get nervous at all, which I thought I was going to, with my first college tournament. But I didn't get nervous at all, I felt like I belonged there and I felt like I knew I could play with these guys. So I guess going forward I have to be confident in myself and confident in my game. I deserve to be here and I can play with these guys no matter who I'm up against."
Off the Course with Lincoln
Favorite course to play: Flint Hills in Andover, Kan.
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite TV show: "Feherty"
Favorite movie: The Fate of the Furious (Furious 8)
Favorite music artist: Kenny Chesney
Favorite sport other than golf: Hockey
Favorite golfer: Jordan Spieth
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