When the PGA Tour returns to action later this month at Colonial, there won’t just be professionals competing.
Georgia Tech senior Andy Ogletree, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, will make his Tour debut June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, playing on a sponsor exemption.
“I’ve been dreaming of playing the PGA Tour since I was 5 years old,” Ogletree told WTOK, the ABC affiliate in Ogletree’s native Little Rock, Mississippi. “That’s been my goal and to see a goal achieved and start setting some new goals is really cool for me. Obviously, it’s not going to be what I thought my first PGA Tour event would be like but I don’t really care. I’m just happy to be playing in it. I’m going to make the most of it and try to play as well as I can.”
With the PGA Tour not allowing fans for its restart in Fort Worth, Texas, Ogletree’s family and friends will not be able to watch him play his first Tour event. They may get to watch him play the Memorial Tournament next month, as that event, which typically invites the previous year’s U.S. Am winner, is currently set to be played in front of crowds.
Ogletree still plans to remain amateur in order to compete in the Masters this November, though Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler told GolfChannel.com that Ogletree has yet to make a final decision on whether or not he will return to school for an extra year.