T.J. Vogel is competing against the world's best at The Masters this weekend. Although the Florida senior is competitive, he is starstruck by some of his opponents in Augusta, Ga.
“[My caddy] told me Tiger Woods is playing Sunday morning,” Vogel said. “I was like, ‘Man, I want to meet him.’ He teed off at 10 (a.m.). I teed off at 8 (a.m.). So, we tried to time it perfectly.”
“As I was walking up No. 9, he was walking down No. 1. I basically just walked down No. 1 and then just ran into him and we talked for a few minutes. It was just really cool to finally meet him. It’s been kind of a dream to be able to talk with him.”
Vogel is living every golfer's dream by playing in The Masters this weekend.
He was one of six amateurs invited to Augusta, Ga., after winning at the U.S. Amateur Publinks last July. Vogel used a stretch of six birdies in seven holes to edge North Florida's Kevin Aylwin for a ticket to The Masters.
Florida coach Buddy Alexander, was in the same position 26 years ago after winning the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1986. Alexander was paired with the Jack Nicklaus during the 1987 Masters.
“It’s surreal to be honest with you,” Alexander said about The Masters. “It’s like no other golf tournament in the world. The British Open, the U.S. Open, those are terrific tournaments — without question. But they don’t go back to the same storied venue every single year. I think that it’s special on every front.”
Added Vogel: “You know, I can’t explain it. The course is so perfect. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before. It’s really fun just ‘cause of the name and then how good the course actually is. I can’t even put it into words.”
Alexander joked that Vogel should be prepared for The Masters because he’s been at the course so much in the past few weeks. The senior says that he has played about 13 or 14 rounds and that he’s starting to become comfortable with the course.
Vogel has a tough road to climb if he wants to make history. No amateur has ever won the Masters. Charles Coe came the closest, finishing second to Gary Player by one stroke in 1961.
Despite the odds, Vogel is not phased. The self-described “perfectionist” says he will relax and try to enjoy the experience more than anything.
Although Vogel is a long shot to don the green jacket on Sunday, the senior is forever linked to a past Masters champion.
“It’s different (meeting Woods),” Vogel said. “I was kind of really nervous initially talking with him but then he’s actually kind of a funny and sarcastic dude.”
“I was just like, ‘I wanted to introduce myself, I’m one of the amateurs playing in the tournament’ and he was real sincere; He was like, ‘Congratulations, that’s such an amazing accomplishment.” Then I was like, ‘You know, man, we have the same birthday. It’s kind of destiny that we are meeting here at Augusta National.”
T.J. Vogel watches one of his drives during a tournament last spring. Vogel will begin competition at The Masters today.
