SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA | In his round of 32 match at the U.S. Amateur last Thursday, 42-year-old home builder Nate Smith went toe to toe with University of Arkansas rising senior John Daly II, eventually losing, 2 and 1. Smith, a former pro, was the oldest player in the field to make match play, and his opponent wasn’t the first John Daly he had faced
“I actually made a hole-in-one at the Travelers Championship [in 2011] and his dad was in my group,” Smith said. “I used to see little John running around the locker room messing with the guys. At the time he’s like 5 years old or something like that. It’s a big reminder that I’m not from this generation.”
Still, the native Californian felt right at home at the Olympic Club for the U.S. Amateur. After graduating from Duke University, Smith turned professional in 2006 and won tournaments on the Hooters Tour and Nationwide Tour [now called the Korn Ferry Tour]. After a brief stint on the PGA Tour in 2011, Smith stepped away from professional golf, building a different life and eventually re-emerging as a mid-amateur competitor.
“To be able to still play the game of golf at venues and in tournaments like this, it’s just a dream come true,” he said.
Smith earned his PGA Tour card through Q-School in 2010. However, in 2011, his only full season on tour, Smith made the cut in only eight of 24 starts, with his best finish a T30 at the Frys.com Open.
Smith played one more PGA Tour event in 2013, but ultimately decided to quit.
“I had some issues with my knee and I also really fell out of love with the lifestyle and travel,” Smith said.
“My approach to the game since I started playing again is to work and try to get better each year and hope to kind of find the feels that I had previously.”
Nate Smith
So Smith went back to graduate school and earned an MBA at the College of Charleston, where he met his wife, Amra. Looking back, Smith considers his departure from professional golf a blessing in disguise.
“I don’t know if it’s divine intervention,” Smith said. “But for me it definitely has felt like something that wasn’t good at the time has ultimately turned into something to help me find a new career, something I enjoy, a beautiful wife, a family, and balance in my life that I didn’t have previously. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Smith and his wife moved to Idaho, where he founded Mountain Creative Construction, a custom home-building company. However, Smith missed competitive golf, and he applied to regain his amateur status in 2022.
“My approach to the game since I started playing again is to work and try to get better each year and hope to kind of find the feels that I had previously,” Smith said. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever discover them so it’s really cool to see myself get better and better.”
Smith made it to the round of 16 at the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur and won the 2024 Idaho Amateur. Earlier this year he won the Snedeker Memorial in Alabama, and he punched his ticket to the U.S. Amateur by qualifying in Utah last month.
“I was excited to get into it because of the opportunity to play a USGA event in an area where I’m sort of from and have this hometown vibe,” Smith said. “It meant so much for me to even qualify for the tournament itself.”
Smith made the most of his opportunity, advancing to match play as the No. 7 seed by shooting 69-69 on Olympic’s Lake and Ocean courses. Like most of the younger competitors in the field, Smith had his parents in the gallery at Olympic. But his wife was also watching, often yelling “Great putt, baby,” whenever Smith made a putt.
Smith appreciated their support.
“My dad loves golf, so he’s a total fan out there,” Smith said. “He lives and dies by it and my wife is the same way.”
Smith’s father, Ken, enjoyed every moment of his son’s play. He took photos, videos and encouraged Smith after every great shot.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching Nate,” Ken said. “He’s determined. He’s talented. He’s got a lot of heart. He never gives up.”
Ken has noticed his son’s change of attitude on the course since regaining his amateur status. When Smith left the tour, Ken said he was worried that experience might sour his son’s love of this game. He’s glad it didn’t and refers to his mid-amateur opportunity as the “second bite of the apple.”
“I’ve watched him rediscover that love for the game,” Ken said. “He’s got his life in a stable place with a loving family and wife. I think he’s just really happy, and you can see that on the golf course.”
And Smith is truly enjoying the amateur experience.
“This is just golf at its purest form,” Smith said
When he wasn’t on the course last week, Smith had to find time to fit his full-time job into his days.
“I’m actively working,” he said Wednesday before his round of 64 match against Bowen Mauss, which he won, 3 and 2. “I'll take any time I can to respond to emails, keep things moving and communicate with the guys on site. But if I do have an opening like I did this morning with a 1:10 [p.m.] tee time, I'm kind of directing people, talking to suppliers, making sure things are good.”
Even working double duty, Smith knows he can still compete with younger players who play more tournaments and sometimes, but not all the time, hit it farther.
“I’ve got some wisdom and I’ve still got some tricks up my sleeve, and I do think I can compete with them,” Smith said, adding that his U.S. Amateur performance was a huge confidence builder “because it sort of validates the hard work I’ve put in and the level I’ve been able to get myself to.”
E-MAIL EVERETT
Top: Nate Smith applied to regain his amateur status in 2022.
chris keane, usga