Interview With Andy Ogletree 2019 U.S. Amateur Champion

Andy Ogletree won the U.S. Amateur last summer at famed Pinehurst. He’s from Little Rock, MS, a small community northwest of Meridian, and is the first Mississippian to win the nation’s most prestigious amateur golf title. Andy is currently a Senior at Georgia Tech University.

I had an opportunity to talk recently about his victory in the U.S. Amateur last summer at Pinehurst, and about playing in the upcoming Masters Tournament.

Note: This interview took place before the postponement of The Masters due to the coronavirus pandemic. We certainly hope that Andy has an opportunity to play in The Masters this year and that we all get to watch him compete in what is just about everyone’s favorite tournament.

JJ: Andy, you obviously have to play great golf to win a US Amateur, which you did at Pinehurst last summer. How were your game and mindset going into the week?

AO: The week before the US Amateur I was playing really good golf at home. But when we got to Pinehurst, I wasn’t hitting it good. My first practice round was pretty bad. So, we went to the range and worked on a couple of swing thoughts. I made eight birdies in the second practice round, and I hit as good as I ever have for pretty much the rest of the week.

JJ: In the final round you were four down after five holes. What was going through your mind?

AO: Nothing really. I knew it was going to be a long day playing a 36-hole match, and you can’t beat yourself up over the first few. I never doubted myself. I was just trying to win every hole.

JJ: You’re in pretty rare company, joining Bobby Jones and Matt Kuchar as the only three Georgia Tech players to win the US Amateur. What’s that like?

AO: When Matt was here for the Tour Championship, I had lunch with him and Bobby Jones IV. It was really cool being able to share that moment together. It’s something I’ll never take for granted.

JJ: The State of Mississippi was well represented in the US Amateur semifinals with yourself and Cohen Trolio making up half the field. How special was that?

AO: That was unbelievable. It was really cool because a Mississippian had never won the US Amateur. I hadn’t met Cohen until that day, because he’s a bit younger than me. Unfortunately, we had to play each other in the semifinal. I’ve known VJ, Cohen’s dad since I was eight.

JJ: You’ll be paired with Tiger for the first two rounds. Have you thought much about that?

AO: It’s just cool! Growing up I was the biggest Tiger fan of anyone. When Tiger was in contention that’s what my brothers, my dad, and I were doing – watching Tiger. He made golf cool in my opinion. It will be kind of a lifelong dream come true to play with him.

JJ: How many times have you played Augusta National?

AO: I’ve played it a total of seven times and hope to get in six or seven more rounds before The Masters practice rounds begin.

JJ: Are there any holes that you really love or ones that give you trouble?

AO: Every hole is so good, that’s why it’s such a great golf course. The fairways are pretty wide and it’s really a second shot course. Getting on the right parts of the greens is key.

Number 16 is just the coolest par 3. I remember going to a practice round as a kid and seeing the players skip shots across the water. I thought that was just the coolest thing. I practiced the skip shot the last time I went and hit it perfect, so I’m looking forward to that.

JJ: Do you plan to stay in the Crow’s Nest?

AO: Yes, I have it booked. I’m definitely going to stay for the first two nights. My family has a house rented for the week, so we’ll see how it goes.

JJ: What are your strategies and goals for the week?

AO: I feel like I actually know the golf course pretty well. I’m going to just try to pay attention to every shot and how it reacts. Where you miss it is, obviously is a huge part. Short siding yourself and leaving it above the hole, those aren’t the places to be. As far as goals, to be low amateur is one of them. Control and commit to one shot at a time. You can tell yourself that it’s just another tournament, but it’s not. I have nothing to lose. I’ll be playing with my childhood hero at Augusta National. I’m just going to commit to every shot and whatever happens I’ll be fine with.