OAKMONT, Pa. — When he was a teenager, Matt Vogt of Cranberry Township was a caddie at Oakmont Country Club.
As a caddie, Vogt said they were allowed to play the course on Mondays, but said, admittedly, he didn’t take advantage of it enough.
But that didn’t seem to hurt him too much because just a week ago, he earned his spot to compete in the U.S. Open while playing at a tournament in Washington.
He told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek he’s ecstatic to be back home, playing the U.S. Open in Oakmont.
“It’s been a blur, I mean, it’s been a week since qualifying, it feels like it’s been a year or more,” Vogt said. “It’s been awesome, man, I’m just trying to soak it all in. Pittsburgh and this place mean so much to me.”
Vogt, a dentist who now lives in Indianapolis, was looking for a place to compete to qualify for the U.S. Open away from the pros. He made his way to Walla Walla, Washington last week. He said he’d never played golf there before, but it paid off!
On Monday, he signed a lot of autographs, something else he’s never done before.
Vogt said this week has been filled with emotions.
Just two months ago, his dad died from colon cancer. You’ll notice during the tournament that he’s wearing a ribbon on his hat in his dad’s honor.
While speaking with Channel 11’s Havranek, Vogt got emotional talking about how supportive his mom has been.
“So much of the story has been about my dad this week, but my mother loves me more than, she means so much to me,” Vogt said. “I can still remember my junior golf career and my college golf career when we celebrated, we celebrated together. When we failed, we cried together. And...Pittsburgh... I get back here so much to see her, and it’s incredible. My dad and her are some of my biggest supporters but I don’t want her to fall to the wayside of this story because, oh my gosh, she’s wonderful. I love her so much, I just feel so blessed. Throw this golf tournament out of the window, I just feel there are so many people around my life who love me and I hope to make them and the city and Oakmont proud.”
An emotional week for Vogt for sure. But, he said he’s looking forward to hopefully playing some good golf and enjoying every second of his first U.S. Open.
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