Matt Vogt, a 34-year-old dentist from Indianapolis, qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, not far from where he grew up. Vogt won a qualifying event at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, on June 2. The magnitude of his accomplishment wasn’t lost on him.
“I told you I was going to try not to cry,” he told the Golf Channel.
“We stayed present all day. I knew I could do this. Yeah, I knew I could do it, and, you know, Oakmont, in Pittsburgh, and everything there, it means so much to me, having grown up in Pittsburgh and caddying there,” he continued, while getting emotional.
“And it took every ounce of energy in my body to not think about that all day. And I’m just so proud of staying present, staying in the moment. I feel like I’m going to wake up from a dream here in a little while, and this isn’t going to be real, but it’s real, and I’m so excited.”
Vogt, who played golf at Butler University, knows he has a tall order ahead of him, but he plans to embrace the moment.
“I’m playing with the best players in the world, so I will soak up every single second of that week and stay insanely present,” he said. “It’s just a dream come true. It truly is. And to continue to play amateur tournaments, and continue to play around the country, and just grind and love this game, like it does so much for me, and just validating all the hard work — yeah, I’m speechless. Truly.”
Vogt’s accomplishment comes in the shadow of a personal loss: His father died two months ago. While reflecting on his death, Vogt pointed to a ribbon on his hat.
“This is him,” he said.
“We talked about golf. He didn’t really teach me the game, but it was something we always, we love sports. We shared that bond, and he was always the one guy, like when I was starting to play golf again and take this seriously, he’s the one guy who’s tracking me. You know, he’s texting me after every birdie, live scoring and all this stuff.
“Like I told you, I knew he was tracking me today. I was looking up to the skies, and I know he’s with me, and he’ll always be with me. I wish he was here to share it, but I know he’s watching.”
Vogt and the rest of the field will hit the links for the 125th U.S. Open when it gets underway June 12, before wrapping up June 15.
