Senior student gets early start on building résumé
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Charlie Reiter has watched the CareerBuilder Challenge for as long as he can remember. But the 18-year-old star golfer from Palm Desert High School didn’t think he would be playing in the tournament. At least not yet.
“No way. I did not think it was going to happen,” said Reiter, a senior who received an exemption to the CareerBuilder tournament in part because he made the cut in the Emirates Australian Open in November. “But it turned out to be that I was going to be able to play, and I’m just really excited to be here.”
Just 20 minutes from his house, Reiter will be making his first PGA Tour start at the CareerBuilder Challenge this week, and he will be making a little history as well.
Reiter is the first amateur in the tournament’s 59-year history to be exempted into the professional field.
While he has a relatively calm demeanor, the one he took to Australia, Reiter admits to more than just a few jitters, at least on a scale of 1 to 10.
“We can say a 10,” Reiter said with a laugh.
A player known for his tour-caliber drives, Reiter’s last 12 months have been full of achievements, from American Junior Golf Association wins to making the fields of the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur to making the cut in the Australian Open in Sydney.
This week is a little different, Reiter says.
“Being at home, you’re not 16 hours away on a flight,” Reiter said. “Being here it’s a little easier for me preparing and being — I already know the golf courses, playing in local tournaments out here. So I think just being at home makes it a little easier.”
One thing Reiter won’t have to worry about this week is school. While he faces finals the week after the tournament, he’s already told his teachers not to expect to see him in class this week.
“A couple of my teachers were like just look online, all the assignments are there,” Reiter said. “All the other ones are pretty cool.”
Reiter seems pretty cool himself with the events of the week, even his first experience with a PGA Tour media room, news conference and an interview with Golf Channel. Despite the nerves and the new experiences, Reiter said he can maintain his composure as the tournament approaches.
“I know I’m nervous, so I kind of accept it and just kind of deal with it and let it go out and happen,” said Reiter, who works with a mental strength coach as well as swing coaches. “If you’re nervous for something, I believe that you’ve just got to accept it and you’ll overcome that and it will just become more of a calming idea for you.”
If the week has a downside so far, it’s that Reiter’s father, Mike, has been hospitalized this week. Mike Reiter caddied for his son in the Australian Open and was set to caddie for him in the CareerBuilder Challenge. Instead, carrying Reiter’s bag will be Dave Stockton Jr., a former tour player who won the PGA Tour Q school on the Nicklaus Tournament and Stadium courses that are being used this week. Stockton is Reiter’s short-game coach.
Reiter will begin tournament play Thursday in a pairing with PGA Tour rookie Maverick McNealy.
Reiter said he met McNealy earlier in the week. McNealy was a top collegiate golfer at Stanford, while Reiter is committed to play at Southern California next fall.
When he played in the Australian event, Reiter said he did have a goal of making the cut, but once the tournament started he didn’t think much about just playing the best he could. This week, Reiter’s approach will be different.
“I’m really not expecting anything from the event,” he said. “I just want to go out here and have a good time and play as well as I can possibly play.”