Amy Bockerstette is an American collegiate golfer and disabilities advocate with Down syndrome. She is the first person with Down syndrome to receive an athletic scholarship to attend college.
Early life
Bockerstette was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her parents are Joe Bockerstette, a small business owner and former board chair of the National Down Syndrome Society 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 Amy's parents that she join the girl's golf team in high school. 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. Bockerstette 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. In high school, Bockerstette became the first person with Down syndrome to play in the Arizona High School Girls Golf Division I State Championship, 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. As a representative of Special Olympics Arizona, Bockerstette played in the LPGABank of Hope Founders Cup Pro-Am with professional golfers Sarah Jane Smith and Gerina Piller in March 2017. She was named by AZCentral.com as one of the "Ten Most Intriguing High School Athletes of 2017". In 2018, Bockerstette signed a letter of intent to play girls golf at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. Bockerstette currently attends PVCC on a full scholarship to play golf where she is studying Dance. Bockerstette is a Special Olympics athlete in golf, swimming and volleyball, plays Challenger baseball, and also plays piano. 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. After hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, Bockerstette parred the hole in front of a roaring crowd, stating "I got this!". The video capturing the moment has since gone viral, receiving 43 million views across various social media platforms. 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. At the post-win press conference, Woodland Facetimed Bockerstette live, telling her "I used your positive energy." The PGA Tour video of the exchange also went viral. Two days later, Gary joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance on The Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in Bockerstette's hands, he told her "We won this together." 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?" Bockerstette and her family launched a 501 non profit corporation, the I GOT THIS Foundation, at her 21st birthday party in October 2019. The foundation mission is to promote golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. 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. Bockerstette continues to attend various charity golf tournaments and fundraising events, where she advocates for inclusion and for people with disabilities.
