PINEHURST, N.C. – After Andy Ogletree won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, his mother, Melissa, found Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler and made an uncomfortable admission.
“I don’t think he has a passport,” she said sheepishly.
That’s a problem, of course, with Ogletree automatically qualifying for the U.S. Walker Cup team by virtue of his victory. The Americans are set to leave in about a week and a half for the Sept. 7-8 matches at Royal Liverpool.
Which is in England.
Ogletree, who grew up in Little Rock, Mississippi (population: less than 2,000), didn’t even realize that he’d need a passport until he was asked about it by a reporter after his winner’s news conference. The only times he’s traveled outside the continental U.S. were to play in the Yellow Jackets’ events in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
“Oh, that’s not good,” he said. “I’m glad you reminded me. I’ll get that done.”
Such requests can take months to process, of course.
“I know you can expedite stuff now,” Heppler said. “But I don’t know if you get it that fast.”
A USGA official, however, confirmed that the organization is “already on it.”