Kunsan's fighter pilot tees off career with golfing

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Instead of lining up that one putt that would put him two under par, Capt. Andy "Wedge" Aduddell, is going to the merge for the kill.

As an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, Captain Aduddell spends his days and nights flying the jet, but just three years before joining the Air Force, his days were spent on the fairway as a professional golfer.

Captain Aduddell grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where his father and grandfather were both golfers.

"I would say it was natural for me to get into golf because they were always playing," he said. "But it's more than that; I love golf because of the competition. I'm a glutton for the intense pressure it puts on a person."

It was while playing golf at the University of Texas that really cemented the game for Captain Aduddell.

"We were really good in college, the whole team," he said.

Good doesn't describe it, while at UT the golf team was ranked number one in the country. Captain Aduddell was named to the All American Golf Team his junior year and Honorable mention All American Golf Team his senior year.

Despite his golf achievements in college, after graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology and business administration, he decided to take some time for awhile.

"Coming straight out of college I tried a bunch of different jobs," he said. "I became a stock broker for a firm in Texas. I did that for about a year but I just couldn't get into it. It was boring for me."

After his time as a stock broker, the captain also tried his hand at being a substitute high school teacher.

"I tried that as well," he said. "I needed to pay the bills and that was one way to make it happen. After that I decided to go back to golf and started playing intensely for the next three years."

Those next years were filled with tournaments and achievements.

"My golf career was pretty good then," he said. "I played many tournaments and PGA qualifying events to include the U.S. Amateurs Tournament and the U.S. Open Qualifying tournament. During that time it wasn't uncommon for me to be playing golf games with Tiger Woods."

At the peak of his career, Captain Aduddell was ranked the number eighth amateur in the country.

Then the tragedies of Sept. 11 happened, and Captain Aduddell started questioning his career path.

"I was playing golf and enjoying it," he said. "I just didn't want to be someone who was 30 years old and still playing the amateur tour. It's cliché, but I wanted to do something more with my life ... something more fulfilling."

It was during a tournament in 2002 when he decided to make that call to an Air Force recruiter.

"I remember the exact moment," he reflected. "I was playing a tournament and had shot a 65 the first day, 67 the second and was leading by four shots and going into the third round. Something hit me and during the third round, after we were rain cancelled, I called the Air Force recruiter to talk about joining. It wasn't until after the tour season had ended that I talked to the recruiter again and seriously talked about joining."

That was all it took. In January 2003 after Officer Training School, Capt. Aduddell became a fighter pilot.

"I truly love what I do," he said. "I love being a fighter pilot. When I was a golfer I put in less time, worked less hours and made more money. But the long hours I have here are worth every bit. I love being a fighter pilot."