Matt Vogt is embracing his emotions and chasing his dream of playing in the U.S. Open
Matt Vogt is back in his hometown of Pittsburgh and chasing a dream as he prepares to play in the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Vogt, a dentist by trade, grew up in Cranberry Township, attended Seneca Valley High School, and was a caddy at Oakmont for six years. He now lives in Indianapolis, where he is a partner at a dental practice.
A long shot to get into the field this week, Vogt currently sits 1,173rd in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and earned his spot in the U.S. Open through final qualifying at Wine Valley Golf Club last week in Walla Walla, Washington.
Vogt said it's been a whirlwind week as he went from final qualifying last Monday in Washington back to Indianapolis for several days, getting into Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Now that he's back in his hometown and at the club where he was a caddy, he's embracing being an inspiration for others as well as it being an emotional week.
An emotional Father's Day weekend for Matt Vogt
Vogt's father died two months ago, and he says the emotion of thinking about his dad will be on his mind this week, especially with Sunday being Father's Day.
"Walking up 9 fairway today after signing some autographs for some little kids, I kind of looked up and thought about it," Vogt said. "Anyone who's lost a parent, you feel these brief spurts of emotion, I think, from time to time."
While Vogt says this weekend will be an emotional one, there's a sense of calm among his family knowing his father is at peace.
"I miss him dearly, but I have this beautiful 15-month-old daughter and a wife who supports me in pursuing this and doing these kinds of things," Vogt said.
A first time for everything
Never having played in front of more than 100 people, Vogt says he signed his first autograph Monday morning during a practice round. Now with the golf world watching, Vogt says he's leaning into leaving a good memory with the fans who are out watching him play at Oakmont.
"It's a true honor to be a part of that, to just see kids like that and, I guess, make a good impression on them here on the golf course," Vogt said.
Vogt says one of his goals this week, aside from doing the best he can during the tournament, is to inspire some people and let them know it's never too late to pursue something in your life that you think is really cool.
With all the new attention focused his way, Vogt says he's not sure why there's so much interest and isn't entirely sure why it resonates so much with people.
"I suppose maybe it's because people are inspired," Vogt said.
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