Jeremy Johnson
Jeremy Johnson of Palmer has always dreamed of representing his country on the world stage.
He will finally get his chance at age 44, although it wasn’t in the sport he planned.
The longtime Alaska soccer specialist has been named to the U.S. National Footgolf Team that will participate in the World Cup next month in Marrakesh, Morocco.
“To represent my country and wear the red, white and blue … I almost break up just talking about it,” he told me. “I can’t describe how amazing it is.”
The footgolf World Cup will feature 500 players from more than 40 countries and include individual and team competition using standard and match play rules.
“It’s like the Ryder Cup in golf,” Johnson said.
The Americans won the 2014 World Cup.
Johnson earned one of 10 automatic berths to this year’s national team based on his No. 9 national ranking from the American Footgolf League Tour.
He spent the summer – and his life savings – traveling around the country in an attempt to qualify for the World Cup team.
He made multiple separate trips to tournaments in Florida, Illinois, Texas and Michigan.
“I went through my retirement fund. It was a sacrifice but it was something that was worth it,” Johnson said.