Amy Bockerstette has broken barriers before, and now she is about to break down another.
The 22-year-old senior, who plays for Phoenix's Paradise Valley Community College, where she was the first person with Down syndrome to earn an athletic scholarship in 2018, qualified for the NJCAA Golf Championships, to be held next week in Ormond Beach, FL. Amy is the first golfer with Down syndrome to play in a collegiate championship tournament.
Golf fans may know Bockerstette from her appearance with Gary Woodland at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, where, back in 2019, her tee shot landed in a greenside bunker on the nerve-wracking #16 Stadium hole in front of the usual rowdy fans. Bockerstette then calmly hit her bunker shot to within eight feet, then drained the par putt, earning her a standing ovation from the crowd. Woodland said after the tournament that it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen on a golf course.
Bockerstette also was the first golfer with Down syndrome to qualify for the Arizona state high school tournament as a junior in 2016, repeating the feat in 2017.
Don't be surprised to see Bockerstette breaking down more barriers in the near future. All of us at Beckles & Recher wish her the best of luck on her journey!
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