DENTIST Matt Vogt is determined to extract as much joy as possible from his emotional homecoming, as he makes his US Open debut just a couple of months after losing his father to cancer.
The fact that the tournament is being played at Oakmont in Pennsylvania – where Vogt caddied for six years as a youngster before earning a college scholarship – makes the event even more poignant.
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Vogt, 34, was born and brought up a few miles from Oakmont.
So he is guaranteed plenty of support this week, especially as TV stations in the US have been portraying his story as a modern-day fairytale.
At 6ft 6in, the big-hitting amateur will not be hard to spot.
And he expects to experience an emotional roller-coaster over the next few days.
His dad, Jim, died from colon cancer just a few weeks before Vogt earned a spot in the US Open field the hard way – winning a regional heat, and then finishing top of the pile again in a hotly-contested final qualifier.
Back-to-back 68s at Wine Valley in Washington saw him finish ahead of plenty of seasoned PGA Tour players.
So he has plenty of game, despite the fact he has never even considered turning professional himself.
Vogt alternated between smiling broadly and fighting back tears, as he explained what it meant to be teeing off in a Major championship just a few yards away from where he used to hang out in the caddyshack.
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He commented: “Oh, wow. Oh my goodness. I don’t know where to start.
“I just hope that what has happened to me will be an inspiration to anyone who is going through a tough time, wondering when the next good thing will happen.
“I think everyone knows about my dad’s passing, and it’s bound to be on my mind a lot this week, especially with it being Father’s Day on Sunday.
“Even walking up the ninth fairway today after signing some autographs for some little kids – which was pretty awesome, by the way – I kind of looked up and thought about it.
“Anyone who’s lost a parent, you feel these brief spurts of emotion, from time to time.
“He had colon cancer. I wear the blue ribbon for that, and I say a prayer every night for people who have been affected by cancer.
“It’s a horrible, horrible thing. He got that diagnosis last year, and it wasn’t good.
“Over the past few months before his passing, you could see it was starting to take a toll. So it’s emotional, but honestly, I know he’s in a better place.
“He was beginning to suffer, and that’s something no one ever wants to see.
“Although I wish he was still here with us, there’s a sense of peace among our family. And I hope he’s at peace as well, because it was hard.
“And for me, I have a 15-month-old daughter now, and the last few months, I feel like in a way I’ve gone from a boy to a man, and like matured as a person and as a dad.”
Vogt, who has played in the US Amateur and Mid-Amateur golf tournaments, has been inundated with good luck messages from his patients, fellow dentists, other players – and the local caddies, who are all rooting for him.
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