A Real Estate Agent Competing in the Masters Tournament
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brandon Holtz, a 39-year-old who describes himself as an “old, fat guy,” has some matters to attend to. While he is one of the 91 competitors at the Masters and is set to play a second round on Friday, he is also managing real-life business during this unforgettable week.
“I need to keep working,” he stated beneath the historic oak tree at Augusta National after completing his first round, sporting the RE/MAX logo on his collar, which represents his employer in Bloomington, Illinois. “I have a listing going live next week and I hope to get that sold.”
Holtz is adept at this. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound former Division I basketball player — possibly the first of his kind to compete in the Masters — is a Realtor, a natural salesperson, and a “Bloomington-Normal legend,” according to his former high school basketball coach Ron Rose, from the twin cities they share.
The ex-Illinois State basketball player, who did not participate in the school’s golf team, spent his youth dominating the 9-hole Lakeside Country Club course in Bloomington, along with the surrounding streets, with his powerful drives. After his basketball career, he attempted to pursue a professional golfing career for a few years but was unable to sustain a living from it. Some of his friends, including a few who followed him on Thursday, were skilled amateur golfers, prompting him to relinquish his professional aspirations and regain his amateur status to play alongside them. He then began selling homes, including a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom property currently listed for $279,900.
This week, he was highlighted on the National Association of Realtors’ Realtor News site — “Brandon Holtz isn’t just recognized for real estate,” the article noted, and his supervisor, John Armstrong, mentioned that Holtz was organizing an open house just 10 minutes before he teed off in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, the tournament he won to qualify for the Masters.
Thus, he remains modest. However, this week has been a humbling experience. On Tuesday, Holtz played a practice round with Tommy Fleetwood. On Wednesday, he practiced with Jordan Spieth, observing patrons capturing photos of the 2015 Masters champion and wishing he had a camera of his own. Then on Thursday, Holtz approached the first tee in front of a large crowd.
He was aware of their thoughts, having attended this event about 15 times since his father, Jeff, won passes in 2004. On each visit, he had been on that side of the rope. But on Thursday, instead of vying for position or figuring out beer runs, he was walking to the tee box. He noted that there was much more to consider this time.
“Oh man, the first tee, it was definitely a bit jittery,” he remarked. “It was an experience I’ve never encountered before, that’s for sure.”
Then, in front of that audience and alongside his playing partner, two-time champion Bubba Watson, Holtz struck his drive straight down the middle, followed by a second shot that landed 28 feet from the pin. He two-putted for par. Patrons cheered his name, recalling his previous vantage point.
Regrettably, that was one of the few highlights from a round that is quite reasonable for an underdog who earned his Masters entry by winning at Troon Country Club in Arizona during his first USGA championship appearance, but perhaps a bit disappointing for a player aiming to make the cut.
A 9-over 81, featuring five bogeys and two double bogeys, was not what Holtz had envisioned.
“I truly enjoyed being out there,” Holtz expressed. “Clearly, my golf game wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for today, but this isn’t my primary occupation and it was challenging today. I was out of position for most of the day.”
He reminded himself to focus and swing hard. His father kept telling him he had metaphorically been in this situation before, like when he triumphed at the Mid-Amateur. However, he admitted that nothing eased those nerves.
FOR YEARS, HOLTZ and his father would visit this venue, witnessing all the cabins, the clubhouse, and the history that only the world’s elite players and social figures will ever experience. Now he has stepped inside those buildings and played in the Masters. He is living the ultimate dream with his dad.
“I’m a 47-year-old man, and I’m standing there with my son high-fiving these players coming from the putting green to No. 1,” said Jim Cely, a patron from Augusta. “He’s the only player I said, ‘Do it, man. … Come on.’ That guy’s a Cinderella story.”
Few among the crowds here can fathom what it must feel like to be Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler. However, there are many individuals like Brandon Holtz.
On Monday, he snapped a photo of a row of Coors Lights arranged on a table in the Crow’s Nest, the third-floor bedroom in the clubhouse where amateurs can stay, and texted his wife, Liz, a picture of himself watching the college basketball championship game, saying, “Just me and my friends watching the game.”
After his round on Thursday, Liz mentioned he changed into shorts, ordered a whiskey, and went to relax on 16 “so he could enjoy as every good patron does” among many of the 50 or so members of “Team Holtz,” (as their shirts indicated) who attended the Masters while Holtz navigated the fairways.
These anecdotes are why he has become a media favorite, consistently sharing with interviewers that his dream Champions Dinner, the same one where McIlroy recently served yellowfin tuna carpaccio and wagyu filet mignon, would feature stuffed crust pizza — with burnt pepperoni — and cheese balls. This menu is fitting for a man who cherishes breakfast burritos from Casey’s, the convenience store chain, and shares life hacks on Instagram, such as how to maximize enjoyment of the remnants of French onion dip in the plastic tub (you crush chips, stir them directly into the dip, then eat it with a fork to avoid mess).
“People are calling him the people’s golfer right now, America’s golfer,” Liz remarked. “But all jokes aside, he is here for them as much as they are for him and probably more. That aspect is quite remarkable about Brandon. He is always cheering for everyone else. And that is also what makes it challenging on this side when it’s a tough day out there. You want to give that to people.”
However, once the initial disappointment fades, Holtz will be left with memories that will last a lifetime. On Wednesday, he participated in the Par 3 Contest with his son, Parker, 6, and his daughter, Mille, who is 2. He described it as a full-circle moment, bonding with his father here, and now passing it on to the next generation.
“I’ve got a little pressure now because all my son wanted to discuss last night was his desire to go practice putting some more,” Holtz said. “And I’m like, oh boy, I better get moving and try to do this again.”
Holtz was concerned about his driver this week, to the extent that he requested the USGA Hall of Fame, where it was kept after his Mid-Am victory, to send it overnight to Augusta. It arrived this morning, but he opted not to use it. He mentioned that at this point, he likely won’t switch on Friday either.
Nonetheless, he believes he has better golf in him. Liz shares that sentiment.
“We’re going to sink some putts tomorrow,” she encouraged him. “We need to find a Casey’s for breakfast. I’m going to get you some French dip tonight for dinner.”
For now, it is not the end of Holtz’s story. His Mid-Am victory also secures him a spot in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June. But first, he still has Friday.
Rose expressed confidence in his former player, describing him as one of the most determined athletes he ever coached, a sharpshooter who never backed down from a challenge. It has to translate, he asserted.
“B. Holtz was either on fire,” he said, “or he was about to get on fire.”
Holtz recognizes that returning to work next week will be challenging after experiencing such a unique atmosphere here. However, he has a mortgage to pay and children to support. He appreciates a flexible career that allows him to continue dreaming at 39, but he has homes to sell. A return to Augusta may prove even more difficult.
“Coming back is going to be tough to be on the spectator side of the rope,” he remarked.
Thus, Friday presents an opportunity. With his dad on the bag, they will walk Amen Corner together. A chance to live a dream for one more day. He has already achieved a victory.
“It’s hard to articulate, really. I’m doing my best, but I’m still thinking I can’t believe I just played the first round of the Masters,” Holtz stated. “At this point, I have nothing to lose. I never really had anything to lose.”
