COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colin Prater is one of Colorado's most talented golfers.
He won the Colorado Golf Association Amateur in 2016 and 2020 and was named Colorado Golf person of the year in 2021.
On Monday, out of 672 players, the Colorado native was one of the 44 that qualified for the U.S. Open.
"I mean obviously you have goals and aspirations to one day play in a major but to fulfill that dream and accomplish that goal is pretty incredible,” said Prater. “Obviously super happy. Overjoyed. Tired. I think now what’s really hitting me is anxiousness. It’s gonna be such a cool experience going to Pinehurst and I’m itching to get there right now.”
Prater shot three under par for the weekend in Bend, Oregon at the final qualifying round, “It really goes to show if you follow your dreams, put in enough time, effort and work, that anything is achievable.”
Very achievable, even if most of your day is spent talking about positive feedback mechanisms or evolution. Prater is a Biology teacher and a golf coach at Cheyenne Mountain high school.
“Prioritizing is super important, for sure,” Prater smiled. “Luckily I have a tremendous support system, a tremendous wife, a really cute little girl, it really keeps me grounded. That’s my priority in life is my family for sure.”
If anyone knows his busy schedule it’s his best friend and caddie, Cole Anderson.
“I just think it’s super inspirational for everybody," Anderson said. "He does more in one day than people do in an entire week. I just think it’s really cool. I think he’s a great role model for all the kids and me as well.”
Prater loves the ability to not only play golf but to grow the game.
“Coaching is so much fun. It’s so rewarding to see a kid start to fall in love with the game of golf," Prater said. "To get excited, to be interested, to want to work hard. It’s super neat and super cool.”
His players will get to watch him at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. A dream tee off.
“I’ll be a nervous wreck,” Prater said. “It will be the most nervous I’ve ever been before in my entire life. To be honest, I still don’t know what to expect going in. But it will be a great story to share with friends and family and show my kids that hey yeah one time I was kind of a good player.”
An amateur player that will get to learn at a major championship.
“It’s such a new challenge and something new and interesting so I really just want to learn how am I gonna deal with it? Am I made for that? Can I be on TV? Can I play golf in front of thousands of people/ But at the same time too, like I teach my kids every day, it’s a learning opportunity so you’re gonna find out a lot about yourself and so hopefully I learn something about myself that just makes me a better person, a better husband, a better dad.”