The Doctor Makes a House Call

Brennan Bogdanovich had a break from medical school when his dad, Ron, called and told him he had a surprise for him. The only instructions were to bring jeans and a T-shirt. Ron drove six hours from Atlanta and Brennan two hours from Savannah, Ga., to their meeting place in Jacksonville, Fla. There Ron unveiled a surprise that had been a year in the making. The first part was a new Tour bag sporting Brennan's name and the logo for Ron's RV restoration company. Next the father unveiled matching shirts. Four years after Brennan had played in his last pro tournament, Ron had signed up his son for a one-day mini-tour event on the Rolling Red Tour. One more loop for old-time's sake, Dad on the bag, just like they had done in the summer of 2019 on the Dakotas Tour. The next day they headed to the first tee. A little more than four hours later, Brennan was holding the winning check. 

Bogdanovich played college golf at Mercer in Macon, Ga., where he had a solid though unspectacular career. He played on the travel team for all four years and had a career average of about 76. While golf was an added bonus to his college life, academics always came first. Bogdanovich majored in biochemistry and molecular biology, earned the Presidential Scholarship and graduated with a 3.87 GPA. His ultimate goal was to attend medical school and become a surgeon. The pull of the PGA Tour, however, was too great. Applying to medical schools could wait. He and his dad headed for the Dakotas Tour the summer after graduation, in 2019. 

Ron is the owner of an RV restoration company, so the pair left Georgia, pulling a 1973 Airstream and camping at each stop. Brennan played in five events, making three cuts. With expenses mounting and medical school applications to be completed, Brennan "retired" from pro golf after one summer. His career earnings on the Dakotas Tour: $1,822.08, with a best finish of T-11. 

During Covid, Brennan became an EMT and worked for an ambulance company before being accepted to the Medical College of Georgia in 2021. He continued to play golf recreationally, still sporting his college bag from Mercer. But after he started medical school, the rounds were few and far between. There wasn't time for much else, including time with family. That is when Ron started to plan the surprise. 

"I just wanted to spend some quality time with my son and reminisce about the great times we spent together in this game,” Ron says. “From age 5 to the Dakotas Tour, golf was special to us."

Ron planned his surprise for almost a year, ordering Brennan the bag, which included logos for the Dakotas Tour and Rolling Red Tour. He signed up Brennan for the event and paid the $390 entry fee. About a week before, he called Brennan and told him he had a surprise. To throw him off, he told his son he needed to bring jeans and work boots. 

When Brennan arrived at the hotel, Ron instructed him to close his eyes and then placed a box in his arms. After pulling out the new bag and reading the embroidered front panel, he looked at his dad, confused about the "Rolling Red" part. "I signed you up for an event,” Ron told him. “We are going back on Tour for a day, and our practice round is in an hour."

They hugged and agreed to enjoy the experience no matter what Brennan shot. A father who wanted to reminisce and a son who had put his PGA Tour dreams to bed to pursue his medical degree together for one more round. "I was shocked and so excited," Brennan says.

 At 9:27 a.m. last Wednesday, former pro golfer and future surgeon Brennan Bogdanovich stepped to the tee at Deercreek Country Club for his first pro event in nearly four years. Ron, always his biggest cheerleader, was on the bag. They wore matching shirts and visors. The intention was to enjoy one more loop for old-time's sake. And then something magical happened.

After opening with a nervy par, Brennan birdied the 2nd hole. On the tight par-5 5th, a hole where most players were laying back, Brennan, with nothing to lose, smoked driver. His approach stopped within 10 feet, and he made the putt for eagle. After a bogey on the 7th, he turned at 2 under.

The back nine began with birdies at the 10th and 12th. A perfect drive on the par-4 13th left Brennan with 177 yards. Dad and son agreed an 8-iron was the play, and as the ball left the club, it looked perfect. It landed and rolled into the hole for an eagle. "I'll never forget that moment," Brennan says. Ron described it as "surreal, too good to put into words." He followed up the hole-out with yet another birdie. Through 14 holes, Brennan was 7 under. 

Pro golf is hard. It’s especially hard when you haven’t played an event in four years. He bogeyed the 15th, and as a storm approached, the wind switched directions. Feeling the nerves, Brennan hit his tee shot OB and made a triple-bogey 7. When he bogeyed the next, he was all the way back to 2 under.

On the par-5 18th, after a solid drive and a good second, Brennan pitched to about five feet and drained the putt for birdie. He signed for a three-under 68. It had been a perfect day that couldn't get any better. Or could it? Brennan had yet to tell his father that live scoring had shown him as the leader. That said, in mini-tour golf, live scoring can be unreliable at best. 

When Brennan emerged from scoring, Ron asked how he had done. "We won, Dad!" They started laughing and hugging. "We were ecstatic,” Ron says. “I told him it was on my bucket list to be on the bag for a win of his. It didn't matter how we did. I just wanted to spend time with my son, but this was icing on the cake." Brennan collected the $2,000 winner’s check before the two returned to their cars and went their separate ways. 

Asked if he felt the urge to chase the PGA Tour again, Brennan says, "Yes, of course, but the medical field is best for me. This creates an amazing memory, though." 

Better than he could have ever imagined.

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