This weekend in Boise, Idaho, an Iraq War veteran will be one step closer to reaching his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
Chad Pfeifer had his left leg amputated above the knee in 2007 after an explosion hit his patrol vehicle and derailed his life. But soon after, the former Army corporal turned to golf as a form of mental and physical rehabilitation.
This week as a sponsor exemption at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, Pfeifer returns to his home state to be the first veteran amputee to play in an official Web.com Tour event.
"It was obviously a huge opportunity for me and my golf career, and when (tournament director) David Babcock told me that they were going to give me a spot I was overwhelmed," Pfeifer said. "I'm extremely grateful they saw me as a good player as well as having a good story."
Pfeifer, 33, has been an avid golfer since getting his prosthetic and now plays full time out of the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear, Arizona.
He's racked up wins at George W. Bush's Warrior Open for wounded veterans and the 2011 National Amputee Golf Championship. He's also played in Gateway Tour and eGolf Tour tournaments and competed on the Golf Channel's "The Big Break."
The Boise Open's executive director, Jeff Sanders said Pfeifer's story, Idaho roots and impressive game made him a no-brainer as a sponsor exemption.
"I watched him hit some balls on the driving range at media day," Sanders said. "I couldn't believe this guy off his right side. He can't really transfer his weight over — it'd be like a pitcher throwing a baseball off his right foot or a quarterback throwing off his right foot only and not being able to get on his left side."
Albertsons Boise Open may be Pfeifer's best chance to both inspire wounded veterans and those with disabilities and make his PGA Tour dream a reality.
The Web.com Tour is considered the path to the PGA Tour — alumni of the event include Rickie Fowler and John Daly.
Pfeifer is one of 156 players in the field competing for $800,000 in prize money.
If the stakes weren't high enough, Pfeifer said he's feeling the added pressure of performing in front of a hometown crowd. He was born and raised in Caldwell, a city just west of Boise.
"I'm just going out and hoping to represent my hometown well, represent wounded veterans and people with disabilities," Pfeifer said. "I think that self-pressure is what's gotten me in some past tournaments, but I've played more and more over the past two years, so I'm excited."
Pfeifer has been back home since June, so he's had plenty of time to meet more than a few local fans. Of course, he's also taken time to get a jump on the competition.
Pfeifer's sister and brother-in-law are members at Hillcrest Country Club, the event's host for the past 26 years.
"I've been able to get out there and get the lay of the land, so it's been nice," Pfeifer said. "It's one of those courses on the Web.com Tour that always produces low numbers. It's not a long course, so it's almost like a putting contest, but it sets up for my game pretty well."
As it turns out, Pfeifer is turning the entire week into a family affair. He's involved in the event's junior clinic Wednesday before play starts and he's looking forward to coaching some of his nephews and childhood friends' children.
His 15-month and 3-year-old sons aren't quite old enough to participate, but Pfeifer knows they'll be rooting for Dad when it counts.
"I'll be nervous on the first tee and probably the first hole, but the nerves don't really bother me," he said. "If I hit a bad shot, I've been through worse."
