Alan Rosensteel Of Golf Academy Of America Remembers His U.S. Open Experience In 1983 At Oakmont Country Club

Following a brief career as a professional golfer, Alan Rosensteel found his calling as director of career services at Golf Academy of America

June 8, 2012, Myrtle Beach, S.C. – It was 19 years ago, but Alan Rosensteel vividly remembers the only time he played in the U.S. Open golf championship. The current director of career services at Golf Academy of America in Myrtle Beach, S.C., was thrilled to have earned one of the nearly 80 spots at various sectional qualifying sites a week before the 1983 championship at tough Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania.

From June 14-17, this year’s U.S. Open will be played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and Rosensteel knows better than most how good those players are.

He finished last among those returning scores and missed the cut with his consecutive scores of 86-86 at Oakmont. Larry Nelson, a retired military veteran, won the title that week, while Rosensteel, a three-year pro at the time, headed back to Florida with mixed emotions.

“I remember being on the practice green with Larry Nelson and saying to him that it was more fun qualifying for this tournament than it is playing in it,” Rosensteel recalled.

Rosensteel never made it back to another U.S. Open, although he tried to qualify 11 other times. He played on the mini-tour circuit for another year and won the 1984 Riviera Open in Daytona Beach, Fla.

But even when he won he thought to himself, “It’s time to get a real job. I had been living on about $13,000 a year for five years. I have some great memories, but it was time to get real.”

About Golf Academy of America

Golf Academy of America (formerly the San Diego Golf Academy) is the largest and longest-running two-year golf college in the world. Golf Academy of America’s 16-month program balances classroom studies, practical experience and comprehensive understanding of both the game and the business of golf. Campuses are located in San Diego, Phoenix, Orlando, Myrtle Beach and Dallas. For more information, call 800-342-7342 or visit www.GolfAcademy.edu . The schools are owned and operated by the Education Corporation of America, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

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