Final Qualifying for the US Open, known as Golf Longest Day, was a typically dramatic affair, with some of the biggest stars of the game competing for the chance to book one of the last places in the Major.
However, while the likes of Cameron Young, Erik van Rooyen and LIV Golfer Marc Leishman all made it safely through, it was also an unforgettable day for some of the game’s amateurs.
One of the biggest stories came from dentist Matt Vogt, whose victory over 36 holes at Wine Valley Golf Club in Washington ensured he would tee it up at Oakmont, a venue where he had once worked as a caddie.
Ahead of his appearance, the Pittsburgh native spoke to reporters, and he admitted that he almost couldn’t bring himself to dream of reaching the Major.
He said: “It means so much. Honestly, with the restoration work here at Oakmont and everything going on with the Open, I try not to even pay attention to it because I knew that it was an absolute pipe dream to get here. It is for the best pros in the world, let alone amateurs. So I almost didn't want to think about it too much.
“I'm still trying to like soak it all in, but also not get too sentimental about it because it's incredible.”
Not surprisingly, Vogt isn’t expected to make it past the weekend at Oakmont, but his experience of the course during his caddying days means he’s not unfamiliar with the layout, even though he wishes he’d taken advantage of his opportunities to play it more than he did.
He added: “We got to play Monday nights, and honestly, we did not appreciate that as much as we should have. I mean, thinking about it now, we should have been here every single Monday, but I'd be lying if I said we were. Tried to get out here most Monday nights and play till dark.”
Unlike some of the other amateurs in the field, Vogt doesn’t have aspirations to make it as a professional, and the 34-year-old admitted that he had never seriously considered the possibility. “Honestly, maybe I didn't dream big enough or maybe, I don't know, I just never quite had it,” he said. “I played around a lot of guys who you could tell had it and had a chance to make a shot at professional golf. It never really crossed my mind.”
Now a dentist with his own practice, Vogt revealed one of the advantages of his Final Qualifying success was an uptick in interest in his business, but that wasn’t his motivation for playing. “Honestly, from a business perspective, that's not what it's about," he said. "We try to take good care of people, and if it brings us more great patients that we can help, awesome. It will give us something to talk about maybe in and around the office.”
More importantly, Vogt sees his story as a chance to inspire others to pursue their dreams. He explained: “I'm not sure why there's so much interest and why it resonates, but I suppose maybe it's because people are inspired.
"I guess that's one of my goals in doing all this this week, besides obviously doing the best I can in the golf tournament, is just to inspire some people, to let them know that it's never too late to try to pursue something your life that you think is really cool and it's something you want to do that other people think might be foolish or might be a waste of your time or maybe don't believe in you. So maybe that's why.”
