How the 3,267th-ranked amateur golfer, a real estate agent, got to play alongside legends at the Masters
A full-time real estate agent just got done playing at the 90th Masters Tournament.
Brandon Holtz, a 39-year-old father from Bloomington, Illinois, found his way to Augusta National this week in "super unlikely" fashion.
Holtz got his Masters invite by winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur last September at Troon Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Winners of the event began getting invited to Augusta in 2018.
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According to the United States Golf Association's Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) system, Holtz is certainly no slouch, playing to a +4.1 handicap, which is better than scratch. In order to qualify for the tournament, one must obtain a 2.4 handicap or better and be at least 25 years old when the championship begins, so Holtz was surely better than most on the links.
However, the Mid-Am was actually his first USGA-sanctioned event, he told The Athletic.
"I'm 1-for-1," he said.
That's why he's actually ranked No. 3,267 in the amateur rankings - because he is hardly getting any points.
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Holtz won his local qualifier in Illinois by shooting a 63 at Crestwicke County Club on Aug. 11. He then traveled to Arizona the following month and ran through the four-day competition that included both stroke and match play. His quarterfinal match actually took 19 holes to finish.
Holtz then won the final match, 3&2, to be invited to both the Masters and this year's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Holtz's father won lifetime badges to the Masters in 2004, so he was at least a little familiar with the course. But playing on it was a different story.
"I’m pretty sure I could see my heart beating through my chest on the first tee," Holtz, who was paired up with two-time winner Bubba Watson, said to The Athletic.
Holtz's father was his caddie for his two rounds, but he missed the cut at 15 over.
But he certainly will have a nice story, and a fairly good excuse, when he goes back to selling houses.
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