By now, golf fans around the world know that Amy Bockerstette’s got this. That includes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, too.
Bockerstette, 22, who has Down syndrome, was named on Friday by President Donald Trump to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. She will represent golf along with the LPGA Tour’s Natalie Gulbis and those with disabilities, and joined the likes of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, former college football coach Urban Meyer, College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz. The appointment is for a two-year term.
Bockerstette gained fame in 2019 in one of the feel-good moments of the year when she played the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the pro-am at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and made par alongside PGA Tour winners Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar. The video went viral and she became a source of inspiration, including to Woodland, who credited her as his unofficial mental coach, and said that he channeled her positive energy and mantra – “I got this” – en route to winning his first major at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Gulbis, 37, a three-time Solheim Cup member and one of the most popular players on the LPGA for nearly two decades, appeared on a season of Trump’s “The Apprentice,” and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
According to the council’s official website, its purpose is to “increase sports participation among youth of all backgrounds and abilities and to promote healthy and active lifestyles for all Americans.”
“Each year, the Council hosts a meeting to set priorities and to discuss current programs and upcoming initiatives. Council members consider ways to most actively engage and inspire Americans to be active and healthy.”