And much of the attention will center on whether an oversize number of reinstated amateurs play their way deep into match play. The griping about the reinstatement process is something the USGA is taking seriously, with officials working to try to come up with a system that’s more uniform and transparent. In the meantime, however, there are numerous heartwarming stories of 25-and-older golfers who have been lifelong amateurs and are living a dream by competing this week. Case in point: Tracy Vallandingham, 44, from California, Md. He’s a Navy civilian who works full-time in financial management for Naval Air Systems Command. It wasn’t until his college baseball career ended that he started to play competitive golf and has been trying to qualify for USGA championships since 2006. There’s also Nathaniel Spencer, 41, an Air Force veteran who played junior golf with Brian Harman and Patton Kizzire, took 15 years off from the game but is now back. He is also a competitive rock climber. One other to root for: McCormick Clouser, 33, from Indiana who played college golf at Ball State. His day job: hog farmer.