Andre Chi is enjoying the vibes around the Copperhead Course. Just a few days back, he was just another aspiring PGA Tour pro with barely any money to fund his dreams. A few days later, he is hobnobbing with former Masters champion, Adam Scott and PGA Tour pro, Ben An and the like.
Chi qualified for the Valspar Championship via a route that the PGA Tour is hellbent on making an antiquarian practice: the much-maligned Monday Qualifier. In the first PGA Tour round of his career, the 24-year-old carded 10-over 81 picking six bogeys complemented by two doubles. He expected better for himself, but then Copperhead is not a walk in the park.
Regardless, Chi is joyous about the prospect, and more importantly, is still soaking in some surreal moments. Like the practice round with former Masters champion and world no.1 golfer, Adam Scott.. Asked about the moment, Chi recollects the whole story.
He caddied for Ben An at the Seminole Pro Member a few weeks back. There, the 24-year-old asked if he could ever play a practice round if he qualified for a PGA Tour event. So, it was just supposed to be Chi and Ben An on the range.
Until Adam Scott walked up to them with a request.
“Adam Scott kind of just walked up to the tee and he said, do you guys mind if I join and I wasn’t going to say no to that. So, yeah, it was a great time, he’s super generous, super nice, he was trying to give me a lot of advice on this golf course and how to tackle this golf course and it was awesome,” said Andre Chi in the post-round media interaction.
Of course, no one ever says no to Adam Scott. “Yeah, these guys are guys you only see on TV so it’s surreal watching them in person. But at the same time they’re here just as a competitor as me and you got to put that aside,” the 24-year-old said. But Andre Chi has another person to thank as well. It wasn’t any pro or any major winner. Rather a golf journalist who helped him get some dollar bills to take his dream just a bit further.
How Andre Chi earned a PGA Tour spot
Chi had just $60 in his pocket this Monday. Just enough to buy you a dozen Titleist Pro V1 but nothing more. Ryan French, who goes by the X handle, Monday Q Info, started a fundraiser on his behalf. French tweeted the story – Chi was an okay college golfer who kept on improving each year. He won the D3 National Championship in his senior year, then the grind began after the school ended.
Long story short, Chi, from a blue-collar background, took a job as an assistant pro, and was struggling financially. After qualifying, he had $60 left in his pocket. French shared the story and then shared a Venmo link where generous persons of Golf Twitter can chip in.
24 hours later, over $31K goes to Chi’s account. Andre Chi is grateful for all the help. He is trying to learn as much as he can from the legends around him. But he is there to compete as well. Andre Chi will tee off with Mason Andersen, and Thomas Rosenmueller on hole 1 at 03.02 PM on Friday.
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