Bonded by golf and loss, Vogt and O’Brien took on Oakmont together
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • June 20, 2025
Kevin O’Brien was getting ready to start a new job when he got a text message that he’ll very likely never forget.
The text came in from across the country, from the state of Washington and from a close friend and regular teammate in amateur golf competitions, Matt Vogt, who was boarding a flight home having just qualified for the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
The text was a simple, yet undeniably time-consuming, request.
“He texted me Tuesday and said, ‘hey, you got a minute,’” O’Brien recalls. “‘I need my man on the bag out there. Let’s do this.’”
Vogt tabbed O’Brien, a North Allegheny graduate, to caddy for him at the U.S. Open. The answer was easy ‘yes’ for O’Brien, who had already offered up a place to stay to Vogt while he faced the game’s best players at a historic venue in Oakmont.
“Obviously, I was about as excited as anyone could’ve been getting that message,” O’Brien said.
What unfolded for the two amateur golfers was a bit of a circus that included some travel, preparation, dinners and numerous national and local media stops for Vogt and O’Brien.
It also included the first tee time off the first tee at Thursday’s opening round, and two rounds of golf that — while both men wish had gone better — were ones that they’ll cherish forever.
But the journey to Oakmont for the pair started well before they walked into the Oakmont clubhouse last Sunday to pick up their credentials and walk the course for the first time as a caddy-player combo. And it’s one that involves both triumphs and disappointments in sport, as well as painful losses in their personal lives.
In 2021, the duo each represented Western Pennsylvania in the U.S. Amateur Championship, played at both Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club.
“We had been around each other before the U.S. Am in 2021, but never really knew each other,” said O’Brien, a strong amateur player in Western Pennsylvania events following his collegiate career at Seton Hall. “We had said ‘hi’ at the U.S. Am. He was hitting the first tee shot at Oakmont, I was first at Longue View.
“Then, a couple days later, he messaged me on Instagram that he was looking for a partner for a Mid-Am event at Champions Golf Club in Texas. It sounded like a lot of fun. Obviously, he was a good player, and I thought we would make a good team. In early 2022, we played that and hit it off, and it led to us playing in more events together.”
Vogt, a Cranberry Township native who now lives in Indianapolis, made national headlines with his qualification for the U.S. Open due to its unlikeliness.
After essentially quitting competitive golf while at Butler University to explore a career in dentistry, he slowly got back to the game he loved, reaching that 2021 U.S. Amateur.
Despite no longer living near each other, Vogt – who now works full-time as a dentist just outside of Indianapolis – and O’Brien have been able to golf together quite a bit, playing in about a dozen sanctioned team events since 2022.
“Matt is one of my best friends,” said O’Brien. “He’s a guy that anyone would enjoy being around, playing golf with or having a beer with. He loves Pittsburgh sports and has a great sense of humor.
“We really have a good time together, whether it’s texts about the Pirates or what the Steelers are doing with their quarterback or coaching, you name it.
“He’s just a great guy and committed to his faith and his family. He’s super likable, super motivated and inspires me a lot with the way he manages his schedule, works on his game and manages his professional life.”
Caddying isn’t the same as playing in the U.S. Open. But the feelings and the sensations that go along with it are shared. And when Vogt had his name read by former Oakmont head professional Bob Ford Thursday morning to begin the competition, the nerves that Vogt admitted to experiencing also were running through O’Brien.
“You’re not hitting the shots, but you feel all the same emotions as if you are playing,” O’Brien said. “Especially with how close Matt and I have been, how excited I was for him and how well I wanted him to do.
“I didn't feel like I was hitting the first tee shot but, standing up there, your heart is racing. We had sort of got used to the practice rounds and then Thursday kind of hits you in the face.”
Vogt carded rounds of 82—81 over his two days competing, leading to a missed cut. A bit dejected, Vogt kept a smile on his face while he met with the media following his 12-over first round Thursday. That smile got even bigger when asked about O’Brien.
“I’ve been staying with him all week,” said Vogt. “He’s become one of my best friends. I think our heads were both spinning out there a bit. But we’ll both learn from it.”
While the two men have shared plenty of good times on and off the golf course, their connection took on a deeper form over the last few months due to personal tragedies.
“We now share the bond of losing our fathers sooner than we’d like,” said Vogt. “We’re a part of that club together. That’s a club that nobody wants to be a part of.”
Vogt’s father passed away from colon cancer in April. O’Brien’s father died in 2021 just before he played in the U.S. Amateur.
The losses were undeniably devastating, particularly given their timing. But the two have been able to find comfort in their shared experiences.
“I was actually with him when he found out his dad was going to pass earlier this year,” said O’Brien, who like Vogt wore a blue ribbon for colon cancer awareness on his hat all week. “Just having someone who understands emotions and can be there for you — more than anything, you still need your friends in order to move on and honor your dad.
“For both of us, to be out there on Father’s Day weekend, it’s awesome to share it with him and know our dads are watching together. It is just another thing that helps us to bond.”
Many caddy-player partnerships in golf — especially at such a high level — are business-based relationships. But with Vogt and O’Brien, friendship and comfortability were at the epicenter of their tandem at Oakmont.
For five days, the two friends walked inside the ropes. They analyzed each grueling shot from the thickened rough and each slippery putt on Oakmont’s notorious challenging greens. They dealt with the volatile weather and heard the cheers from friends, families and plenty of other ‘Yinzers’ in the gallery. And they found another way to grow closer to one another.
“Matt works super hard, pursues his passions but still makes time for his family and friends,” said O’Brien, who started a new job the day after J.J. Spaun sunk a 64-foot putt to win the U.S. Open this past Sunday. “I am lucky to have gotten close to him. It’s not a fluke he made it to (the U.S. Open).”
And while both will get back to reality and move on from such a crazy week, they’ll do so with a memory of a lifetime.
“We’ll always share this,” said Vogt. “I’m very grateful for Kevin this week. He’s been my righthand man. It’s been a blast.”
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.