From Waiter to U.S. Open Artist:
A Pinehurst Story Full-Circle 

When Phil Werz invited me onto his Podcast  "Paradise in the Pines", I expected to talk about painting golf courses and U.S. Opens. Instead, his questions took me somewhere far more meaningful, back to Pinehurst, where my life quietly changed direction.

I was born in Pinehurst but did not grow up there  It was years later, after struggling in high school and doubting myself, that I returned and finally found my footing. My GPA was nothing to brag about, and no university was lining up to accept me. Then during my senior year at Pine Forest High School, we hired our first art teacher, Ms. McDuffie. She saw something in me and told me to chase it.

Sandhills Community College became my second chance. I took my first real art classes there and went from near the bottom academically to making straight A’s. For the first time, I wasn’t just getting by. I found my calling in a classroom just minutes from where I was born.

To pay my way, I bagged groceries at the local A&P, worked customer service at a candle company, and eventually landed a job waiting tables at the Carolina Hotel. That dining room opened my eyes. I saw elegance, culture, and confidence up close. Guests treated me with kindness and respect, and I began to believe I could stand in rooms like that one day, not serving dinner, but sharing my work.

Years later, I returned to Sandhills as Alumnus of the Year. The boy who once struggled to get accepted anywhere was now building a career that would take him to becoming the Official Artist of the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Open and beyond.

Three Lessons Pinehurst Taught Me

A Mentor Can Change Your Trajectory
Ms. McDuffie saw what I hadn’t yet seen in myself, one teacher, one voice of belief. Never underestimate what encouragement can unlock.

Humble Work Builds Unseen Confidence
Bagging groceries and waiting tables didn’t distract me from my calling, they prepared me for it. Those experiences taught me discipline, humility, conversation, and how to connect with people from every walk of life. That human connection later became essential in both my art and my speaking.

Your Environment Can Elevate Your Vision
Pinehurst isn’t just the Home of American Golf. It’s a place that models excellence. Walking through the Carolina Hotel, watching the world gather for championships, seeing how a community honors tradition, those images shaped my standards long before I ever painted them.

 Reflection

Looking back, Pinehurst gave me what I now call A.R.T.  Awareness, seeing possibility when others might miss it.  Resourcefulness, using whatever was in my hands and Timing, stepping forward when the opportunity appeared.

And here’s the part that still makes me smile. After my days as a waiter at the Carolina Hotel, one of my proudest moments was returning there as a guest. Pinehurst did more than host my beginnings it shaped them. 

Sometimes the place where you struggled the most becomes the place that lifts you higher than you ever imagined.