Amy Bockerstette (born October 15, 1998) is an American competitive amateur golfer and disabilities advocate with Down syndrome. She is the first person with Down syndrome to both receive an athletic scholarship to attend college and also to compete in a national collegiate championship. [1] [2] [3]
Bockerstette (pronounced Bock-er-steady) was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. From ages 5 to 12 Amy attended Three Rivers Montessori School where her classes were with peers in a general education classroom setting. After moving to Phoenix, Arizona in 2010, she attended Stetson Hills Elementary School. Her parents are Joe Bockerstette, a small business owner and former board chair of the National Down Syndrome Society [4] and Jenny Bockerstette, a former paralegal and college instructor. She has one sister, Lindsey Corbin. In 1999, Amy's parents co-founded the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana with several other Fort Wayne families.
Bockerstette's first experience with organized golf came in the Spring of her eighth grade year. She participated on a school club golf team, where she impressed her school's coach such that he recommended to her parents that she join the girls golf team in high school. [5]
Bockerstette attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was primarily included in general education classes, and graduated with a full diploma in May 2018. She played on the high school girls golf team for four years, and earned her varsity letter for golf in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. [6]
In high school, Bockerstette became the first person with Down syndrome to play in the Arizona High School Girls Golf Division I State Championship, [7] where she competed as both a junior and senior. In 2017, she was honored at the AZCentral.com Sports Awards with the Best Moment of the Year Award for Arizona High School Sports. [8] As a representative of Special Olympics Arizona, Bockerstette played in the LPGA Bank of Hope Founders Cup Pro-Am with professional golfers Sarah Jane Smith and Gerina Piller in March 2017. [9] She was named by AZCentral.com as one of the "Ten Most Intriguing High School Athletes of 2017". [10]
In May 2018, Bockerstette signed a letter of intent to play golf at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. [11] For 4 years, she studied dance at PVCC and played on a full golf scholarship, completing her college career in May 2022. She was afforded two one-year golf scholarship extensions due to COVID-19.
Bockerstette is a Special Olympics athlete in golf, swimming and volleyball and plays Challenger baseball. She also plays piano. [12] [13]
As a representative of Special Olympics Arizona, on January 29, 2019, Bockerstette was invited by the PGA Tour to play the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale with professional golfer Gary Woodland and playing partner Matt Kuchar during the Tuesday practice round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. [14] After hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, she parred the hole in front of a roaring crowd, confidently stating "I got this!" The video capturing the moment has since gone viral, receiving 55 million views across various social media platforms. [15] Woodland is even quoted saying to Golf.com, "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."
On June 16, 2019, Gary Woodland won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and credited Bockerstette and her iconic "I got this!" as inspiration for his victory. [16] At the post-win press conference, Woodland FaceTimed her live, telling her "I used your positive energy." The PGA Tour video of the exchange also went viral. [17] Two days later, Woodland joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance on The Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in her hands, he told her "We won that together." [18]
In June 2019, Bockerstette was the keynote speaker for the National Down Syndrome Congress Annual Convention, where more than 2000 attendees gave her a standing ovation for her speech, "What's Your Superpower?" [19]
Bockerstette and her family launched a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the I GOT THIS Foundation, at her 21st birthday party in October 2019. [20] The foundation mission is to promote golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. [21]
On December 28, 2019, Bockerstette served as one of five Grand Marshals for the 2019 Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, alongside USWMT soccer players Julie Ertz and Jessica McDonald, US paratriathlete Allysa Seely and WNBA basketball player Diana Taurasi. [22]
On December 17, 2020, Bockerstette was appointed to a two-year term on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. [23]
After completing her sophomore year at Paradise Valley Community College, on May 5, 2021, Bockerstette was awarded the Golden Puma Distinguished Leadership Award, [24] which is the highest award bestowed upon PVCC students annually and recognizes model students who have integrated academic excellence with achievement in areas such as leadership, athletics, community service, fine and performing arts, entrepreneurship and career achievement.
In Spring 2021, the PVCC Women's Golf Team (Coach Matt Keel, Captain Paige Dormal, Sara Kearns, Jinkyung Kim, Amber Daczka, Amy Bockerstette, and Emily Ingles) competed at the 2021 NJCAA Women's Golf Championship held at Plantation Bay Golf and Country Club in Ormond Beach, Florida. On May 20, 2021, Bockerstette made history [3] by becoming the first person with Down syndrome to compete in a national collegiate championship.
On June 24, 2021, Bockerstette was named one of two inaugural recipients of the Champion Award by the NJCAA Foundation. [25] The Champion Award was established to honor a member or former member of the NJCAA community who exemplifies resilience, excellence, and passion.
On April 29, 2022, Bockerstette was named as one of the 48 Most Intriguing Women of Arizona by 48 Arizona Women and the Arizona Historical Society. She is featured in a coffee table book entitled: Arizona's 48 Most Intriguing Women—A New Decade, telling each woman's story in words and photos. [26] Honorees were selected from 15 cities across Arizona and included Dr. Sian Proctor, who on September 15, 2021, became the first African American Woman to pilot a spacecraft.
On June 6–9, 2022, Bockerstette competed at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games [27] in Orlando Florida in the Level 5 category, 18 holes individual golf competition, at Orange National Golf Center, where she won a silver medal. [28]
On July 18–20, 2022, Bockerstette competed in the Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open, [29] hosted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club's Course No. 6. Individual handicaps were the primary factor in selecting the field of 78 men and 18 women from 299 applicants. The 96 players representing 14 countries competed across eight different impairment categories: arm impairment, leg impairment, multiple limb amputee, neurological impairment, seated players, short stature, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. Amy finished 10th overall among the 18 women in the competition. [30]
Bockerstette continues to represent the I Got This Foundation, as a speaker and by attending various charity golf tournaments and fundraising events, where she advocates for inclusion and for people with disabilities.
Amy Alcott is an American professional golfer and golf course designer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1975, and won five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She was a part of the architectural team that designed the golf course for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Marilynn Louise Smith was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won two major championships and 21 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) is a public community college in Phoenix, Arizona. A branch campus, PVCC at Black Mountain, opened in August 2009 in the far northern section of Scottsdale, Arizona to serve this rapidly growing area. It provides greater access for the communities of Cave Creek and Carefree.
Alexis Noel Thompson is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 12, she was the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open. She turned professional in June 2010 at age 15. On September 18, 2011, Thompson set a then new record as the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA tournament, at age 16 years, seven months, and eight days, when she won the Navistar LPGA Classic. Three months later she became the second-youngest winner of a Ladies European Tour event, capturing the Dubai Ladies Masters by four strokes on December 17, 2011. She won her first major championship at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship at the age of 19 years, 1 month and 27 days, making her the second youngest LPGA golfer to win a major.
Amanda Blumenherst is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She was a three-time National Player of the Year at Duke University and won the U.S. Women's Amateur title in 2008. In 2013, she announced that she would take a leave from professional golf to spend more time with her husband, major league baseball player Nate Freiman.
Stacy Lewis is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women's British Open in 2013. She was ranked number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four weeks in 2013, and reclaimed the position in June 2014 with a victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic for another 21 weeks.
Inbee Park is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. She has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four separate runs: April 2013 to June 2014, October 2014 to February 2015, June 2015 to October 2015, and from April to July 2018.
Anna Maria Nordqvist is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She has won three major championships: the 2009 LPGA Championship, the 2017 Evian Championship, and the 2021 Women's British Open. She is the only non-American woman to have won major championships in three different decades.
Gary Woodland is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Woodland won the U.S. Open in 2019, his first major championship and sixth professional victory. Following a successful college career, he turned pro in 2007 and briefly competed on the circuit then known as the Nationwide Tour, now the Korn Ferry Tour. Woodland has competed on the PGA Tour since 2009 and has four wins.
Leona Maguire is an Irish professional golfer.
Shanshan Feng is a Chinese former professional golfer who previously played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She was the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008. Feng had 10 victories on the tour, including the 2012 LPGA Championship, a major title, in which she shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round to win by two strokes. She was the first player from China to win an LPGA major championship, as well as the first player from mainland China to have won a major championship. Her best finish in 16 previous majors was a tie for 22nd at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. With the victory, she moved from tenth to fifth in the Women's World Golf Rankings. On 20 August 2016, Feng won the Olympic bronze medal in women's golf at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. From November 2017 to April 2018, she was first in the Women's World Golf Rankings.
Brooke Mackenzie Henderson is a Canadian professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.
Tiffany Chan, born Chan Zhi Cheng, is a professional golfer from Hong Kong.
Aditi Ashok is an Indian professional golfer from Bangalore. She plays on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour. She made her Olympic Games debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, representing India in golf and finished 4th.
Paige Renee Spiranac is an American social media personality, golf instructor, and briefly a professional golfer. She played Division 1 college golf at both the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, winning All-Mountain West Conference honors during the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, and leading the Aztecs to their first Mountain West Conference Championship in 2015.
Atthaya Thitikul is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She is the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf tournament at aged 14 years, 4 months and 19 days after winning the Ladies European Thailand Championship as an amateur on 9 July 2017. She was the number one ranked women's amateur golfer in the world for a total of 12 weeks, rising to the top on two occasions, the first time on 26 June 2019.
Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan is a Filipino professional golfer. As an amateur, she was a dual medalist in the 2018 Asian Games, winning a bronze in the women's individual event, and a gold medal in the team event with Yuka Saso and Lois Kaye Go.
Linnea Ström is a Swedish professional golfer. She joined the U.S.-based LPGA Tour after graduating from the Symetra Tour as 2018 Rookie of the Year.
Lindsey Kathryn Weaver-Wright is an American professional golfer and LPGA Tour member. She shot a 59 during the 2012 Ping Junior Interclub match to become the second female golfer in history to do so, first being Annika Sörenstam.
The Cactus Tour is an unofficial developmental golf tour, or mini-tour, for women golfers which operates in the American Southwest. It bills itself as "The Tour for Women Golf Professionals in the Western United States!". Golfweek termed it " an Arizona-based mini-tour for up-and-coming women’s professionals."