Share
Sports

Watch: Special Olympics Athlete Pulls Off Incredible Feat in Front of PGA Tour Crowd

Share

PGA Tour pros Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar joined an incredible young woman Wednesday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open — and what she did on the par-3 16th hole had fans on their feet and cheering.

Amy Bockerstette is a golfer in the Special Olympics. She became the first person with Down syndrome to sign a college athletic scholarship when she signed with Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix last year, according to The Arizona Republic. She also was the first Arizona student with Down syndrome to compete in the state high school playoffs.

Woodland and Kuchar surprised her at TPC Scottsdale.

“I hear you’re a good golfer,” Woodland said after introducing himself and giving Bockerstette a hug. “You want to come to the hole with us?”

“Yes,” she said.

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated


As she stepped up to the tee, Bockerstette said, “Yeah, I got this.” She proceeded to stripe one down the middle of the fairway, which elicited high fives from her playing partners.

“So cool,” she said of the applause she received when she walked up the fairway. “They love me. Awesome.”

“You like all these people?” Woodland asked.

“Yes,” she said with a smile.

On her approach shot, she hit it into a greenside bunker. No problem, Bockerstette said.

“I got this. You can do this, you can do this, you can do this,” she said to herself as she approached the ball.

She splashed it out within 10 feet of the cup, a shot that’s hard for anyone to do, including her playing partners.

“Nice! That is awesome,” said Woodland, high-fiving her. “Let’s go putt. We’re going to make this. That is so good.”

Related:
College Football Coach Goes Viral as He Glorifies God in Rousing Speech After Title Win

And you know what happened.

Bam. Bottom of the cup for an up and down out of the bunker that any PGA Tour pro would be proud of.

The crowd in the greenside bleachers let out a huge cheer.

“You are so awesome,” Woodland said as he gave her a hug. Bockerstette waved to the crowd and blew them kisses.

“You’re an inspiration to us,” Woodland told her. “You’re our hero.”

I don’t how anything that happens in the Waste Management Open this weekend will top that.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , ,
Share
Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.
Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.
Location
Massachusetts
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Sports




Conversation