Photos courtesy of Augusta National Golf Club
Luke List and his wife, Chloe, faced a decision all parents face when starting a family. With the impending arrival of their first child, daughter Ryann, in October 2018, did the Lists want to remain in southern California … or did they want to move closer to family?
While Luke grew up in northwest Georgia and attended school in Chattanooga, Tenn., Chloe grew up mere minutes from Augusta National Golf Club. She was voted Homecoming Queen at Evans High School, before becoming an actress. As List began to establish himself on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour, they got married in 2016. Two years later, the Lists found themselves in new roles as parents with new responsibilities. They had a decision to make — live two thousand miles away from their families or move back to the South? They chose Augusta, a decision Luke says he doesn’t regret.
“We haven’t looked back at all. It’s been fantastic for me, my wife, our kids,” he says. Luke and Chloe added their second child, son Harrison, in 2021. “We spend a lot of time with her family. The kids get to spend a lot of time with them, which is fantastic.
“Augusta has pretty good weather, which is nice. The proximity to tournaments really isn’t that bad. I just think it’s a fantastic place to raise a family. You’ve got really nice people. There’s a lot of great golf courses besides the Augusta National, and they’re building more in the area. I think it just checks all the boxes as a place to set up shop regardless of golf, especially if you’re raising a young family.”
When List tees it up in the 88th edition of the Masters Tournament, he’ll look to make history. While former Augusta residents Larry Mize (1987) and Patrick Reed (2018) own Green Jackets, neither won the Masters while living in the home of golf’s first major championship of the year. The 39-year-old List is making his third appearance at the event after finishing tied for 33rd as an amateur in 2005 and missing the cut in his first Masters appearance as a professional in 2022.
“It’s been my favorite tournament ever since I can remember as a five-, six-year-old watching it with my grandfather,” List remembers. “It’s kind of surreal living so close now. The first couple of years living here and not being in the field, that motivated me more. Playing poorly last time was also a little motivating for this time. What did I learn? What can I do better? What can I improve upon?”
List grew up in Ringgold, Ga., and attended Baylor School in nearby Chattanooga, winning a pair of individual state championships, while helping his team capture three state championships. A highly sought-after junior golfer, List chose Vanderbilt University for his secondary education. Before he stepped foot on the Nashville campus, List played in his first major tournament, posting a respectable two-day score of 75-74 at the 2003 U.S. Open.
While he became one of the top players in college golf during his time at Vanderbilt University, List also kept building his overall golf resume. He finished as the 2004 U.S. Amateur runner-up, earning an invitation to the 2005 Masters.
After turning pro in 2007, List spent the next decade trying to get to the PGA Tour. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2013, then made just nine cuts that year, lost his card, and spent two more years trying to get back.
He regained full-time status in 2016 and survived his second PGA Tour season, finishing No. 122 in the FedExCup standings. He finally broke through in 2022 with his first career win at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Always a long-hitter and superb ball-striker, List battled being consistent through the years with his putter. In summer 2023, List employed renowned golf instructor Cameron McCormick to help him around the greens. McCormick worked on List’s mental approach, different grips and different putters.
The new approach paid off in late June, when List led the field in strokes gained putting in the final round of the Travelers Championship. He continued to get reps in with McCormick throughout the fall and found himself on comfortable Bermuda greens in October at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Miss.
Down two shots entering the final round, List posted a 2-under-par 70 to enter a five-way, sudden-death playoff that included his friend, Henrik Norlander, a fellow Augustan he regularly plays with at Champions Retreat Golf Club.
On the first playoff hole, List fired his approach shot just inside of fellow competitor Ludvig Åberg. As Åberg missed his long birdie attempt, List got a good read for his own 43-foot birdie attempt. With Chloe and their children in attendance, List rolled in the putt, securing his second career PGA Tour victory, along with an invitation to play in his hometown major.
“I hit a putt that Friday on a similar distance to a similar pin. Similar speed. Similar break,” List says. “I was very calm. I felt like it was my opportunity to seize. I was fortunate to get a little bit of a speed read off Ludvig and be able to pick a spot and control my emotions and roll it in. Obviously, for it to go in a lot of luck was involved, but I was happy to see it go over the spot I picked. When it went in, a lot of emotion came out.”
List is hopeful his new putting approach, along with his previous experience of playing in the Masters, will pay off when he returns to play in his hometown major. He said he expects to feel the proverbial butterflies when he steps foot again on the Augusta National Golf Club grounds.
“I hold it in high regard as one of the best golf courses in the world, regardless of the tournament,” he says. “Because I’ve loved this course for a long time and had a little success there my first time as an amateur, it’s kind of been that carrot out there for me, and I feel like it actually suits my game. It’s just a matter of preparing the best way I can and then trying to execute in the moment.”
Seen in the 2024 April issue of Augusta magazine and the Augusta magazine Tournament Guide.
