MCCORDSVILLE — It's not every day you see your dentist teeing off at one of golf’s biggest events.
Two weeks ago, that was a reality. Matt Vogt, a McCordsville dentist and amateur golfer, qualified for and competed in the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club — a dream come true in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
“For the last couple weeks, yes, it was nuts,” Vogt said. “The way I describe it, at the qualifier the week before the Open, I walked onto the golf course that day hopeful I could accomplish what I did, but certainly not expecting it. I walked off the golf course that day, I guess, famous overnight.”
In 2018, Vogt opened his practice, Dentists at Gateway Crossing.
“Despite what Twitter says, I am a real dentist,” Vogt joked.
It’s also around the same time he started playing golf again.
Vogt originally picked up the sport in high school and played three semesters at Butler University before taking a break.
“Year after year, we have more patients, and our friends and family are referring their friends and family. That’s been really cool to see,” he said. “As we’ve grown, my pursuit of golf outside the office has grown too.”
Vogt practices regularly at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis.
“They all take credit that I cut my teeth here,” he said.
For Vogt, it’s not about turning pro — it’s about the love of competition.
“When you’re playing amateur golf, especially guys my age, it’s a challenge to yourself — how good you can get, how you can improve,” he said. “It’s really a love of competition.”
That passion brought him full circle, back to Oakmont where he once caddied.
“Being one of the guys for the week still hasn’t really sunk in,” Vogt said. “The nerves, especially hitting the first tee ball at the U.S. Open — that experience changed my life forever, in a great way.”
Despite the whirlwind experience, Vogt has no plans to leave his day job.
“I’ve been very clear with everybody, I am still your dentist,” he said. “There was a kid during one of my practice rounds who asked if I was turning pro. I said, ‘No, buddy. I’m not turning pro, I’m a dentist.’ And he said, 'What if you win?' And half-jokingly, because let’s be honest, I wasn’t going to win the golf tournament, I said, 'Sure, if I win, I’ll turn pro.'”
More than anything, he hopes his story motivates others to chase their dreams.
“If you want to accomplish something in your life, something meaningful, you can do it,” he said. “It’s going to take intentionality. It’s going to take sacrifice. You’re going to need to sacrifice in other areas of your life, but you can do it,” said Vogt.
Vogt has a month off from tournament play until he has amateur events this summer. This past weekend, he posted on Instagram that he tied the course record at Highlands.
