WMPO PHOTO
Amy Bockerstette takes in the crowd at the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale with PGA Tour star Gary Woodland, who helped coach Amy to her sensational par.
The Par seen ’round the world LOCAL COLLEGE GOLFER GOES VIRAL AT WMPO By Tom Mackin
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f the 296 pars made on the legendary 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, none got a louder roar than the one Amy Bockerstette made there during a Tuesday practice round. The Sandra Day O’Connor High School graduate and current member of the Paradise Valley Community College women’s golf team was part of “Dream Day,” when athletes from the Special Olympics Arizona program are invited to play with pros. Despite being paired with Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar, Bockerstette (who was born with Down Syndrome) didn’t hesitate. Her impressive performance – solid tee shot, stellar greenside bunker shot, and then sinking
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the par putt — turned into a heartwarming PGA TOUR video that racked up millions of views on Facebook and Twitter. Her skills certainly impressed Woodland, the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open champion. “I was hoping she got it off the tee box,” he said later that day. “I figured she would be a little nervous with a couple thousand people there watching her. And when it was in the bunker I asked her if she wanted me to take it out. I didn’t know if she wanted to go in. She said, no, I got this. And she was right, she did, it was awesome to see. And then the putt, I mean I never rooted so hard for something and it went in center cut. It just looked good the whole time.” Her college coach and long-time instructor also were thrilled. “We have a group text for the team and that was blowing up afterwards. The team was ecstatic for her,” said Matt Keel, the women’s golf coach at Paradise Valley Community College and Director of Instruction at JW Marriott Wildfire Golf Club. “I had offered her a scholarship to play at PVCC (making Amy the first person with Down Syndrome to ever earn a college athletic scholarship, according to ESPN) because I felt she could make a contribution to the team and be a player. My expectations for her are the same as for everyone else on the team: Be at practice and perform well in tournaments.” Matt Acuff, president and director of Instruction at True North Golf School in Phoenix, has worked with Amy www.azgolf.org
