Drew Kittleson (left) competes on the Masters.
Getty Pictures
Drew Kittleson’s golf life could be traced by way of his nicknames.
Earlier than he was Bridges Cup competitor Drew Kittleson, he was U.S. Newbie runner-up Drew Kittleson. He earned that title again in 2008, as a 19-year-old at Pinehurst No. 2. Kittleson was only a freshman at Florida State College then, however he climbed by way of a area of older and extra battle-tested gamers to achieve the ultimate match of probably the most vaunted beginner golf occasion within the sport. You may not keep in mind his position in that occasion — Kittleson misplaced to one of many few youthful gamers within the area within the finals, 18-year-old Danny Lee, who turned the youngest U.S. Newbie champ ever. However the ’08 U.S. Am was, he says now, the launching off level for an beginner golf profession that carried him farther than he’d ever dreamed.
“I feel I’ve performed eight or 9 USGA championships now,” he says with a chuckle. “Yeah, it’s fairly cool.”
Amongst these USGA championships are two different nicknames, U.S. Open competitor Drew Kittleson, and Masters competitor Drew Kittleson. Kittleson’s stints in these occasions — at Augusta Nationwide and Bethpage Black in 2009 — have been short-lived. He missed the minimize in each begins — the primary and final two main appearances of his profession.
“I assumed to myself, you recognize, I’m gonna play in 20 of those,” Kittleson says with amusing. “I want I might have stopped to scent the roses.”
Nonetheless, the reminiscences from every of these begins stay near the floor.
“All of the tales you hear in regards to the little allures of Augusta Nationwide, they’re all true,” Kittleson says, reminiscing on his time within the membership’s amateur-only Crow’s Nest. “It’s like staying in your personal private 4 Seasons.“
After faculty, he tried out the title professional golfer Drew Kittleson for some time, enjoying on numerous feeder excursions within the early 2010s, however one thing was amiss. He was greater than proficient sufficient, however he may by no means fairly seize the identical magic he’d taken to Pinehurst within the U.S. Am. He gave up golf and obtained into personal jet gross sales, then branched out to start out his personal kitchen and tub enterprise within the Scottsdale space.
By means of his golf connections, he joined Whisper Rock, a well known personal membership within the Scottsdale space, and shortly, he’d tried out the best nickname of all: golf lover Drew Kittleson.
“We’ve got this saying at Whisper Rock, ‘it’s all in regards to the hold,’” Kittleson says. “‘The hold’ side of golf is probably the most particular half to me. You get to know anyone, get to satisfy anyone, get to be with folks you want, get to compete a bit of bit. My method to the sport has modified in each approach doable since golf was a job, and it’s opened extra doorways for me than I may have ever imagined.”
It was at Whisper Rock that Kittleson started to fall in love with golf once more. And it was at Whisper Rock that he discovered himself first saying one thing shocking: he wished to start out competing on the beginner circuit once more.
As he tells it, two of his buddies had simply completed within the quarterfinals of the U.S. Newbie 4-Ball, which had precipitated Kittleson and one other buddy, Drew Stoltz, to snigger.
“We have been simply giving them a tough time,” Kittleson says. “We have been like, ‘effectively, in the event you guys can do this, then we’d kill you guys.’ So the following 12 months, Drew and I went and performed the qualifier, after which the entire sudden, we have been the runners-up, after which the following 12 months we have been runner-up, too.”
After notching his second and third runner-up finishes in USGA championships, Kittleson had the aggressive bug once more. He certified for the U.S. Mid-Am and made it to the semifinals on his first strive, and parlayed that right into a slot within the U.S. Am in Denver — giving Kittleson the rarest type of full-circle skilled second.
Quickly after his Newbie return, Kittleson had one other invitation ready: the Bridges Cup, an annual Ryder Cup-style, high-level beginner occasion between U.S. and Worldwide squads. (GOLF’s holding firm, 8AM Golf, hosts the occasion yearly.)
After two profitable runs with the Individuals, Kittleson might be again on the U.S. aspect this week in Korea. He says the occasion is considered one of his favourite weeks of the 12 months — not only for the competitors, however for the camaraderie.
“Golf has opened extra doorways for me than I might have ever imagined,” Kittleson stated. “I met a few of my finest pals on this planet by way of the sport, and nonetheless proceed to satisfy nice folks and have these wonderful experiences. I’m ceaselessly grateful.”
