Meet Stewart Hagestad, the Wall Street banker looking to win The Masters… but has NO intention of turning professional!

Scores of Wall Street bankers reportedly flew to Augusta National this week to enjoy the action. But unlike the rest, Stewart Hagestad won’t be watching The Masters from behind the ropes, he’ll be playing it.

Unlike the majority of the field of 89 players, golf is not Hagestad’s full-time job. The 33-year-old is an associate at BDT & MSD Partners, an investment and advisory firm with more than $60 billion in assets under management, and sneaks into a few holes after turning off his computer for a day.

Hagestad played his way into the Masters field by winning last year’s US Mid-Amateur – a competition for players aged 25 or older.

But this isn’t his first Masters appearance. Hagestad has played the tournament twice before, making his debut in 2017 when he finished in a tie for 36th as a low amateur.

Hagestad’s win at the US Mid-Amateur last year was his third – a feat that has given him entry into six majors before this week.

The 33-year-old is an employee at BDT & MSD Partners, an investment and advisory firm

The California native won the Low Amateur Silver Cup in his Masters debut in 2017

He has also competed in the Walker Cup four times with victorious American teams against Great Britain and Ireland.

He is the only member of the 2017 team, which also included major winners Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, who did not turn pro. And he doesn’t plan to either.

Hagestad played collegiate golf in Southern California, but knew a pro career wasn’t in the cards for him when he left school. So instead of trying to get his PGA Tour card, he moved to New York and the financial world.

“I wasn’t good enough,” he said The Wall Street Journal. ‘When I left school, I had come to the conclusion that I was going to take a different path.’

He finished tied for 116th in the NCAAs, 18 strokes behind the winner and current world number 11, Max Homa in his senior year.

Hagestad is quite satisfied with building his career in the financial world, while also being the eleventh largest amateur in the world.

“Part of the reason I love amateur golf is simply because it gives you a chance to miss it,” Hagestad said.

Hagestad played his way into the Masters field by winning the US Mid-Amateur last year

The 2017 Walker Cup Team – (Top L-R) Captain John Miller, Maverick McNealy, Will Zalatoris, Hagestad, Norman Xiong, Cameron Champ, (Bottom L-R) Braden Thornberry, Doc Redman, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler and Doug Ghim

Hagestad was also part of the winning U.S. team at the 2023 Walker Cup in St. Andrews

“If you don’t play for a while, you start to itch a bit after a few months.”

Hagestad fits golf into his work schedule, waking up early to practice for 40 minutes on mats in his living room before work and hitting balls on a simulator after leaving the office around 6:30 p.m.

However, in preparation for The Masters, Hagestad has tried to leave the office a little earlier. Since March, he has been asking the teams he works with if he can sneak out a full hour early. ‘

He will take to the rolling fairways of Augusta for the third time on Thursday at 2.24pm ET/7.24pm BST, alongside Fred Couples and Adam Hadwin.