GOLF: Realtor and golf amateur Brandon Holtz making most of Masters moments

AUGUSTA, Ga. – On most Saturdays, 39-year-old Brandon Holtz can be found in one of two places: at an open house as a realtor or playing in a 12-man scramble in Bloomington, Ill. But this weekend, the Illinois native has bigger dreams—to spend his time on the prestigious grounds of Augusta National. Holtz, who qualified for the Masters through the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon Country Club in Arizona last September, is making his 16th trip to the Masters, but this year is different: he's stepping onto the course as a competitor.

"I'm the old fat guy out here. It's been great," Holtz joked. "I'll be teeing off at 9:02 a.m. Thursday with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. I've met a lot of players, talked to them, and tried to understand their stories. I played with Tommy Fleetwood on Tuesday and Jordan Spieth on Wednesday. They're icons of the sport. I’ve learned a lot from them. At times, I was just sitting back, watching them play."

Though Holtz is a first-time competitor at the Masters, he’s no stranger to the event. He’s attended the tournament 15 times before, though not as a player. His father, Jeff, received lifetime Masters badges in 2004, which opened the door for Holtz to witness golf’s biggest event firsthand year after year.

A former college basketball player at Illinois State University, Holtz’s transition to golf wasn’t smooth. Just one year after his basketball career ended, he turned pro in golf, though not under sponsorship. The costs of constant travel added up, and it became clear that a different path was necessary. His college coaches, who had seen Holtz’s potential as a golfer, said they would have pushed him in that direction had they known he’d end up here.

“We can all—hindsight is 20/20,” Holtz said. “We can all sit and dream and wish, but you just have to take life as it comes to you and live in the moment.”

Now, as one of the select 91 players at Augusta National, Holtz finds himself near the bottom of the field’s rankings, listed with names like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. But despite being at the tail end of the leaderboard, Holtz has already won something special just by making it to this stage. The experience of playing at Augusta, even if it’s only for the first two days, is something he’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Holtz faced some challenges leading up to his debut. Struggling with his driver, one of the clubs that got him here, a friend and the USGA arranged for Holtz’s old driver to be sent to Augusta. He was expected to sign for it on Wednesday afternoon, hoping it would help him feel more comfortable on the course.

“Only got half a day left, but sometimes you just have to get out there and play. Shut the brain off, tee it up, hit it, go find it, and hit it again,” Holtz said.

Back home, Holtz spends most Saturdays at Lakeside Country Club, a nine-hole track with an affordable membership rate of $1,835 for golfers under 40. The local gas station, conveniently located near two holes, serves as the group's regular breakfast stop. Holtz jokes that it’s a place where imagination runs wild when it comes to the snacks and food choices made between tee shots.

With Augusta’s challenges ahead, Holtz is focusing on staying in the moment. “I'm taking one shot at a time, trying not to get too far ahead of myself,” he said. “You don't know what you don't know. I've been here before, but it hasn't been tournament time yet. One shot at a time, and we’ll see what happens.”

Though Augusta National has strict rules prohibiting cell phones on the course, Holtz can’t help but wish he could capture a few memories, especially after playing with Fleetwood and Spieth. “I wish I had my camera,” Holtz admitted. “I see all these people taking photographs, and I wanted to take a shot or two myself. Spieth’s a great guy. We just talked, learned about each other’s families, and it was really fun to play with him.”

For Holtz, the journey to Augusta has been a long and rewarding one, and his time on the course this week is a dream come true. Whether or not he makes the cut, the experience itself is worth more than any ranking could measure.

-Field Level Media / Reuters