COLUMBUS (WCMH) — In the history books, it will say that Patrick Reed was the winner of the 2018 Masters tournament. But you could make an argument that Stephen Fogle and Jackie King came out winners as well.
No, they did not leave with a gree jacket or a near $2 million check, but instead a memory that no amount of money can buy.
Fogle and King met as sophomores at Ohio University.
By the beginning of junior year, they were dating.
Now, five years later, they both live in Columbus; not as boyfriend and girlfriend, but as an engaged couple.
Here’s the story: Back in June 2017, King learned she won the ticket lottery for the Masters.
“Four tickets to the practice rounds. And that’s immediately when I started looking for rings about 15 minutes later,” said Fogle. “I had been thinking about proposing in like a year and a half or so and then at that moment I said, I may never get back there and it felt just like full circle with her family and the start of ours”
You see, King’s dad proposed to her mom at the 1986 PGA Championship. Fogle was hoping to do the same at the 2018 Masters – if everything went right.
“He seemed nervous and excited but I knew that going to the Masters would be exciting for him and that he would be anyway, so to me it wasn’t a red flag at all,” said King.
Fogle planned everything; even how to sneakily bring the ring to the course.
“So I went through security and they said what’s in the box and made me open it,” said Fogle. “I can’t explain what’s happening right now and they asked, ‘Are you getting engaged’, and I said ‘Yes! I got to go!'”
To hiring a photographer to capture the magic moment.
“I was standing there ready to pose for a picture and he pulled something out of his back pocket and started talking and I looked at him and said ‘Are you proposing right now?’ I said that out loud to him because it was the first thing that came to my mind,” said King. “And I couldn’t even tell you what he said after that. Then he just got on one knee and it was definitely a whirlwind. I was completely in shock.”
“It’s something will always be able to look back on and remember fondly and I was hoping she would say yes,” said Fogle. “If not, I’d hate the Masters the rest of my life. But luckily she did.”
The two plan to be married in May 2020.