Lukas Michel dreams of Augusta return, via the Asia Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne

Lukas Michel, the 2019 US Mid Amateur champion, had wrestled with a decision for years. Turn professional and begin life as a touring golfer, or use his engineering degree and love of design to pursue a career in golf course architecture? Chase birdies, or bulldozers?

Earlier this year, bulldozers won. Michel, a Melbourne native, had marked the Australian 2022/23 summer amateur events as his last assessment before trying the paid ranks. He was in contention at the Australian Amateur at the Alister MacKenzie-designed New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney earlier this year. During the final round, at the par-4 15^th, Michel needed to hit driver to have any chance at posting a number. But the stress of the tee shot, and a strong headwind, forced him to lay up with an iron, which he pushed right into trees.

“That was when I thought, I don’t think this is for me,”…