How the 3,267th-ranked amateur golfer, a real estate agent, got to play alongside legends at the Masters

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A full-time real estate agent just got done playing at the 90th Masters Tournament.

Brandon Holtz, a 39-year-old father from Bloomington, Illinois, found his way to Augusta National this week in "super unlikely" fashion.

Holtz got his Masters invite by winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur in September at Troon Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Winners of the event began getting invited to Augusta in 2018.

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Brandon Holtz plays his shot on the second fairway during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., April 10, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

According to the United States Golf Association's Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) system, Holtz is no slouch, playing to a +4.1 handicap, which is better than scratch. 

To qualify for the tournament, one must record a 2.4 handicap or better and be at least 25 years old when the championship begins, so Holtz was surely better than most on the links.

However, the Mid-Am was actually his first USGA-sanctioned event, he told The Athletic.

"I'm one for one," he said.

That's why he's actually ranked No. 3,267 in the amateur rankings, because he is hardly getting any points.

Brandon Holtz plays his shot from the fifth tee during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., April 9, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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Holtz won his local qualifier in Illinois by shooting a 63 at Crestwicke County Club on Aug. 11. He then traveled to Arizona the