Anyone who’s watched major championship golf in the past 12 months probably has seen Jovan Rebula’s name. Since winning the Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen in June 2018, Rebula’s career has been a whirlwind: exemptions into the Open Championship, the Masters, and the U.S. Open, on top of Rebula’s already-packed schedule as one of the top amateurs in the world. Rebula missed both cuts at Carnoustie and Augusta, but that summary sells the story short: he shot an opening-round 73 at the Masters and was even par through nine holes in his second round before a tough patch pushed him below the cut line. As a junior at Auburn, Rebula won the SEC individual championship in April, and he and his Tigers teammates advanced to the NCAA Championship. Rebula also is the nephew of Ernie Els, but Rebula relishes that relationship rather than fearing his uncle’s shadow. “He’s always going to be the first person I call when I need some advice,” Rebula said. “We’re very close.”
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LYING FOUR: What’s the difference in the vibe at a team event like the Regionals and an individual event like the Masters?
JOVAN REBULA: Team events are obviously a little more fun. You’re always traveling with more or less the same guys every week, and we get along well and have great laughs together. The camaraderie has been unbelievable these last couple of weeks. You get into a little bit better routine when it comes to team events, when the coaches are around. They would do anything for us, so that’s always a little bit easier — you’ve got someone whose advice you can ask for if you’re in a little bit of a struggle or something like that. It’s enjoyable for sure. When you’re traveling by yourself, it might get a little bit lonely; but it’s definitely a lot of fun traveling with the boys.
LYING FOUR: Do you get more nervous for the NCAAs or the Masters?
JOVAN REBULA: The Masters was pretty nerve-racking, I’m not gonna lie. That was something special.
LYING FOUR: So how did you wind up at Auburn?
JOVAN REBULA: Long story short, I was never really planning on coming to college until about nine months before I started. One of their coaches had sent me something in the mail when I was about 14 years old, just to kind of get their name out there. I wasn’t really interested until I started speaking to my uncle about it, and he was kind of like, “Hey, you’ve gotta consider going to the States, because there’s really not much to do in South Africa.” This was a couple of years ago, when I wasn’t really interested. I got to a point where we sat down for the last time, and I decided, “I’ve gotta do this.” The coaches started messaging me on Facebook. So that’s basically how I got recruited — through Facebook Messenger. That’s how we communicated for a little bit. Then we had a couple of Skype calls, and the next moment I signed my NLI.
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LYING FOUR: You mentioned your uncle. You mean Ernie, right?
JOVAN REBULA: Yeah, that’s right.
LYING FOUR: Are you guys close?
JOVAN REBULA: Oh, we share an unbelievable bond. He calls me on the regular. I mean he doesn’t call me every day, but every second or third week, he’ll call me just to see how things are going. He’s always trying to make plans and see if we can come down to visit him and stuff like that. He’s always calling me, just to see how I’m doing, if I’m coping well — always asks me about my golf game. We share a special bond. It’s been pretty cool to have him as a mentor through my life. And obviously we’re such good friends too, which makes it so much easier. We love each other to death. We’re very interested in each other’s lives. He’s been an unbelievable help throughout my golfing career. He’s always going to be the first person I call when I need some advice. We’re very close.
LYING FOUR: Had you spent much time in the States before you came to Auburn?
JOVAN REBULA: Not much. I came for two or three events before I started, but I hadn’t been to America much before college at all.
LYING FOUR: So how has life in Alabama compared to what you expected?
JOVAN REBULA: Well, I came over by myself. The reason I came over to America to start college was mainly to start doing my own thing. I kind of got it from my father, who was in a similar position. My father is Serbian, and when he was about 25, he emigrated to South Africa by himself, with literally just a suitcase and two tennis racquets. He was a tennis coach at that time. And he just made a living for himself. I wanted to do the same thing: just get out of the house, be a little bit more independent, and do my own thing. And in golf, it’s important to be here too — because in South Africa, you always compete against the same people, and it’s always the same thing. It became very much a routine over there. I just wanted to do something different. Obviously the best golfers in the world are over here, so I wanted to come over and try to compete with them too. Living in Alabama, it’s awesome. I’m really enjoying it. The culture in Alabama, compared to other states, is very similar to what we have in South Africa — southern hospitality. The people are very similar to South African people. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. There’s so many people in Auburn who you can go talk to. They care for us. Honestly, people make it easy living here — the coaches and guys on our team, too. They were always willing to help whenever I was struggling.
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LYING FOUR: I guess it wasn’t quite a year ago when you won the Amateur Championship, and that opened so many doors. What was it like going from the high of winning at Aberdeen to then having to turn around and go to Carnoustie for the Open Championship a few weeks later?
JOVAN REBULA: It was weird. Last summer was so odd. The South African team goes over to the UK every year, and we play a couple of events there, and usually I’ll come home and spend time with the family. That’s one of the longer breaks we have, when I can spend time with my family. Obviously it didn’t work out that way. But I’m not going to exchange that for anything in the world. It’s been unbelievable to be able to do what I did at Royal Aberdeen — it was something that was out of this world. Then to be able to play the next month — so I went back home and then flew back to the UK, to play one of my favorite golf tournaments ever. That was crazy. Summer last year was absolutely wild, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s taken me to a level where I feel like this actually is something that I can do one day at the highest level. On the belief side, it’s something that’s been very big for me.
LYING FOUR: And when it came time to play the Masters this year, was that less stressful because you’d had more time to prepare? Or was it more stressful because you’d had more time to think about it?
JOVAN REBULA: At Carnoustie, everything was a little more rushed. It was busy. I think I was just a little bit tired at that point. We played the Amateur, and then went back home for two weeks, and then had to fly back up there again. I played in the Palmer Cup in France, which was two weeks prior to the Open. And then I went up to stay a couple of days with my uncle in the UK — he’s got a place in London. And then from there, straight to the Open — and the next thing I know, I’m standing on the first tee box. Definitely, I would say that the British Open was a little more challenging for me, preparation-wise. Because obviously, at Augusta, you’ve got seven or eight months after the British Amateur; you can get time to talk to people you know and figure out what you’re gonna do. You can mentally prepare for it, and that’s something that I’d been doing for the last five months prior to the event. You’re just gaining information everywhere. I got to see the golf course for a little bit longer, and it gave me a little bit more time to prepare. The first tee shot was definitely one of the most nervous times of my life, but after that it was smooth sailing.
LYING FOUR: You mentioned that all this opened your eyes to what it’s like playing at the professional level. Is there anything you’ve learned about yourself from playing in these events?
JOVAN REBULA: Definitely. Obviously, good or bad results, always try to learn as much as possible. Results don’t necessarily show how I believe in myself. During Augusta, I was comfortably making the cut through 27 holes, and then I had a span of four or five holes where everything just went a little bit south. If you take away three holes of that golf tournament, I would’ve been playing on the weekend. It definitely shows that I can do that, and I believe that I can do that. It’s just a matter of when those things are going to start coming together. I feel like these last three months, it’s been really good. I’ve proven myself — that I can do things that, in the past, I didn’t believe that I could.
LYING FOUR: Between the Open and the Masters, what’s your coolest memory?
JOVAN REBULA: The night before the British Open, my uncle and I went to an awards dinner where my uncle received a players media award. We were there, and both of us took pictures with the Claret Jug and the Amateur Championship trophy. For me and him to be standing there, with both our trophies from the tournaments we won, was something that was really special. There’s a picture of that on my Twitter. That night was awesome. For my uncle to be recognized for what he’d done, that was something that I really enjoyed.
LYING FOUR: Looking ahead to the U.S. Open, have you played at Pebble before?
JOVAN REBULA: Yeah, I played there at the U.S. Amateur last year. And that was big, to have played competitive golf on that golf course. I feel like that’s a golf course that suits me pretty well. It’s not one of the longest golf courses. It’s also one of those courses where you can just bunt yourself around the golf course, and that’s something that I’m pretty good at. Just hit it well off the tee and putt it well, and you’ll do pretty well.
LYING FOUR: Are there any lessons you can take from Carnoustie or Augusta and apply at Pebble?
JOVAN REBULA: Yeah. During the week, how you prepare is something that — during the practice rounds it’s important, but what you do off the golf course is very important too. It’s important to get some good rest, because during the British Open, I was so excited that I was literally out on the golf course from sunrise to sunset. You get to the first tee and you’re feeling incredibly tired. Just to find a way and get some good rest and keep the energy levels up is something that’s big for me. I have a guy on the bag that week who caddied for me at the Masters — and who caddied for my uncle, actually. Cayce Kerr is his name. He makes a big difference — keeping you calm on the golf course, making you feel good about yourself. So that’s gonna be something good. I’ve had two tries at majors; I feel we can make the cut at the third one, and hopefully do well and compete.
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LYING FOUR: I noticed on your bio on Auburn’s website that your dream foursome would include Moe Norman. How’d you get interested in Moe Norman?
JOVAN REBULA: Moe Norman, in my opinion, was one of the most interesting golfers out there. In South Africa, we kind of had an obsession about this guy. We always used to hear stories about him. The guy who I see back in South Africa to help me out with my golf game, he actually got to see him hit balls on the range. I’ve heard so many unbelievable stories about Moe Norman that I’d want to see it for myself.
LYING FOUR: I also noticed that the course you want to check out the most is Cypress Point. Have you made it out there yet?
JOVAN REBULA: I have not. Last year at the U.S. Amateur, me and one of the guys — I don’t know if you can put this on social media — we tried to sneak on the golf course just to check out a couple of the holes, because it’s right there along the road. So we got a glimpse of it. That’s the closest I’ve been to the golf course so far, but hopefully there’ll be someone willing to take me out on that golf course once. That would be something special.
LYING FOUR: What’s your favorite course that you’ve played?
JOVAN REBULA: I’m a big fan of St. Andrews, but you’ve definitely got to put Augusta up there too. Those are my top two.
LYING FOUR: That’s a pretty solid list.
JOVAN REBULA: Yeah.
LYING FOUR: What’s your plan after Pebble? Are you going back to Auburn, or are you turning pro?
JOVAN REBULA: I’ll be going back. I’ll be finishing my senior year at Auburn. I’ve still got a couple of things that I want to achieve — I set some personal goals for myself that I want to achieve before I leave college, and I’m almost halfway there. Auburn is an unbelievable place for us to get better and to play, so I’m just going to take one more year to try and prepare my golf game so that I can peak at the time I turn pro. You want to be playing your best golf when you’re about to turn pro; that’s the most important time to play well. I’m just going to try to prepare my game. There’s a lot of stuff that I’m starting to work on. This summer, I’ll be playing a bunch of golf, and then one more year on the schedule here at Auburn, and then we’ll see. Next summer is definitely the time that I’ll turn pro.
LYING FOUR: And when you look at your game, what would you like to improve on the most over the next 12 months?
JOVAN REBULA: Just to feel comfortable on the golf course, and to try to get yourself into situations that you haven’t been in before. There’s always something to improve on, and you can never stop learning. I want to put myself into situations like what I’ll be facing in the near future. We play an unbelievable schedule; the coaches set up a tough and good schedule for us where we play with some of the best players in the world, amateur-wise. And those will probably be the guys that you’ll be competing against when you turn pro. So I’m just going to try to learn as much as I can this next year, and we’ll see how it goes from there. I’m in no rush to turn pro, to be honest with you. It doesn’t bother me that I’m not turning pro this year. We’re just going to take this next year and try to get better, work on a couple of things, and that’s gonna help in the long run.
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All photos: credit Auburn Athletics