Former Oakmont caddie turned dentist the feel-good story of U.S. Open Final Qualifying
Former Oakmont caddie turned dentist the feel-good story of U.S. Open Final Qualifying
Among the myriad of feel-good stories emerging out of Monday's Final Qualifying for the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont in Pittsburgh next week, Matt Vogt tops the list.
'I knew I could do it,' he said.
Vogt, ranked 1173 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was born in the Steel City and caddied for six years at Oakmont. He played college golf at Butler University and works as a dentist in Indianapolis. He last earned amateur ranking points with a 17th in February's Gasparilla Invitational, but after advancing through 18-hole Local Qualifying, he won the Indianapolis Open. That proved to be good prep for going to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, where he shot a pair of 68s in 36-hole qualifying. That was good enough to be medalist at the qualifying site and earn one of two available spots in the U.S. Open.
'I feel like I'm going to wake up from a dream here in a little while and it's not going to be real but it is real,' he said on Golf Channel.
Vogt was understandably emotional during his interview and he struggled to hold back tears when he was asked about his father, who died two months ago. Vogt said he wore a ribbon on his hat in his father's honor and recalled how his father used to track his rounds online and text him after every birdie and bogey.
'I knew he was tracking me today,' Vogt said on Monday. 'I wish he was here to share it with me but I know he was watching.'
Heartwarming stuff. Expect to hear plenty more about Vogt's unique tale en route to earning one of 156 spots in the U.S. Open field from more than 10,000 golfers who signed up and attempted to play their way to Oakmont. The course has undergone a renovation since Vogt was last there for the 2021 U.S. Amateur, but it's doubtful anyone in the field will know it better than the Indianapolis dentist who is coming home to his old stomping grounds.
'I will soak up every single second of that week,' said Vogt of the Open, which gets underway on June 12. 'It's just a dream come true.'
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