Player: Colin Prater


Colin Prater
Hometown: Colorado Springs
University: Colorado Mid-Amateur / UCCS
Graduation Year: 2018
Area of Study: Biology
Person Honored: James K. Smith

ve to Arizona and commence the chase – mini-tours, Q-School, the gamut.

Only he realized there was a lifestyle he liked better: raising a family, being home for the big moments, consistent income. It might be considered a normal life, but it’s a pretty good one: high school biology teacher, husband and father, with a second baby due in the next few weeks.

This week, Prater’s “normal” life is anything but. He’s the epitome of the U.S. Open, this country’s national championship which offers a seat at the table to any amateur (with a 0.4 handicap index or better) who can shoot the scores across 18-hole Local Qualifying and 36-hole Final Qualifying.

Prater did so – qualifying on Golf’s Longest Day in Oregon – and his week at Pinehurst No. 2 has been a case study in controlling the fandom inside, as he prepares for one of the toughest tests of golf he’ll ever face. It has also been what some recreational golfers might call a fantasy: practice rounds on Monday with Will Zalatoris; Tuesday with Wyndham Clark and Mark Hubbard (an all-Colorado grouping); and Wednesday with Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns.