When Abraham Ancer steps onto the first tee at Pebble Beach in the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday it will be a special moment for a lot of reasons.
It will be his first appearance at the Open and only his third opportunity at a major, and of course, just playing at Pebble Beach is special in and of itself.
But when Ancer hits his first drive and rolls his first putt, he will be without the man who helped grow his passion for the game.
Ancer's father, also named Abraham, died in 2014 and never saw the 28-year-old play in a single major. It's difficult for Ancer to deal with and something he would have loved to be able to share with his dad.
"It's always tough," Ancer told Omnisport, speaking on behalf of Corona Premier. "Every day I think about it would be awesome to have him here with me watching me play, I know he still is, but I mean, just being a little selfish and just having him here it would be incredible just to see all the work and all the effort he put in and invested in me to get me here."
Abraham Sr. died in 2014 after suffering a heart attack. He never got a chance to see his son play on the PGA Tour, but encouraged his namesake in the game from the time he was in diapers.
He had his son on the course in the family's home town of Reynosa, Mexico, and did all he could to help the young man's game. What came of that was a chance to play in junior college and eventually a scholarship to Oklahoma which served as a springboard to professional golf.
It's something Ancer would have loved to experience with his dad, especially when, a year after his father's death, he earned his PGA Tour card.
"It took a lot out of him money-wise, he went out of his way for me to play at junior events, whatever he could get me on he would do," Ancer said. "So I'll always be extremely thankful for that."
Ancer never really got to play in the high-level AJGA events growing up, but he said both of his parents did all they could to support him which helped him earn a chance to play at the next level. And now he has a chance to play in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
It's a moment not lost on the young golfer from Mexico and one he can't wait to experience for the first time.
"Every hole is just so good out here," Ancer said. "But I mean the stretch from 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, all of those holes that are right along the ocean, I mean the views are incredible.
"I'm going to try to just enjoy that and it's funny to say that, at Corona their saying is to 'enjoy the view' and this is just perfect for this golf course."