Gary Woodland surprises Special Olympics athlete Amy Bockerstette // PGA TOUR
Special Olympics golfer Amy Bockerstette is at the top of her game! Not only is she the first person with Down syndrome to earn an athletic college scholarship, but she became an internet sensation [PGA TOUR] when she made par on a PGA golf course with PGA champs Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar cheering her on. But this isn’t her first time in the spotlight.
In the last four years, Bockerstette qualified for the Arizona state high school tournament twice and was named one of the AZCentral.com “Ten Most Intriguing High School Athletes of 2017.” In 2018, she was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Paradise Valley Community College, an accomplishment that “floored” Amy and her family.
"I was fortunate to get a scholarship to Paradise Valley Community College and meet some new friends," Bockerstette told AZCentral.com. "It was great to continue to play golf."
A Special Olympics athlete for the last 6 years, Bockerstette had the chance to take center stage at the TPC Scottdale, impressing defending champion Gary Woodland.
“I’ve been blessed to do lot of cool things on the golf course but that is by far the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Woodland told Golf.com. “She was phenomenal. And then to step up in front of all the people and the crowd and everything and to hit the shots that she hit and made par, I never rooted so hard for somebody on a golf course and it was an emotional, emotional, really cool experience.”
Read more coverage about Amy’s performance on the course in People.