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Special Olympics golfer goes viral after making par on one of golf's most famous holes
There are bound to be huge roars at the Waste Management Phoenix Open's famed 16th hole this week, but none will be as impactful as the one created by an inspirational young lady before the tournament even started.
Introducing Amy Bockerstette, a Special Olympics golfer with one heckuva sand game. During a Tuesday practice round, Bockerstette was plucked from the crowd by the event's defending champ, Gary Woodland, to play TPC Scottsdale's par-3 16th. And in front of thousands of fans with the cameras rolling, the Phoenix resident produced a par that quickly went viral. Check it out:
What a save. What a reaction.
Woodland nicely summed up how the literally millions of people who have already seen the clip felt at his Wednesday pre-tournament press conference.
"I told her she was an inspiration to all of us and we can all learn from her," Woodland said. "She was dealt with some serious issues and she’s overcome them and she is phenomenal. She was so sweet, she was so excited and happy and that’s something that we can all learn from. When things aren’t going our way we can definitely look back at her. And I told her she was a hero and to keep doing what she’s doing because we’re all going to be following her."
Not surprisingly, Bockerstette is an accomplished golfer. She qualified for the state tournament as a junior and last May signed a college letter of intent to play at Paradise Valley Community College, becoming the first person with Down syndrome to do either. To learn more about the amazing Amy check out Arizona Central's terrific profile on her from 2017.
In the meantime, re-watch the highlight that neither she, Woodland, nor anyone in attendance that day will ever forget.