AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) - Air force veteran, Ned Endwisle, has been granted his Wish of a Lifetime. He has dreamed to go to the Masters Tournament since he was a boy.

 “I didn’t get the smile off my face for what four days, and then I didn’t believe it. I’m just a lowkey guy. And to see all this excitement and it is exciting for me, I’m bubbling up,” said Endwisle

AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime is similar to the Make a Wish Foundation but for those with more years under their belt.

Endwisle says, “I’m really humbled because there’s so many people that deserve it, I’m just a chubby old guy that happened to live long enough.”

AARP reached out to Alaska Warrior Partnership to grant a wish, and Jessy Lakin, Program Lead, knew exactly who to call.

 “We got to talking like and I could tell he was a vet and he was golfing by himself. And I said why are you out here by yourself? And he said, well, I do not have friends that I golf with. I'm say well, you got friends with us now.” said Lakin. “We were at one of holes and he was like I’m about to chip it up onto the 16th green of Augusta National. And I was like this weird old man is talking about Augusta up here in Alaska like what is he talking about? I thought he was senile at the time, and I kind of mentally stored that the back of my mind.”

Until Ned arrived at Augusta National Saturday morning, he just though he scored tickets to the tournament, but America's Warrior Partnership thought they could do one better.

Lakin says, “They're all about it. But there's no way to get tickets. It's impossible to get tickets is what AARP said. And so, it wasn't going to happen and then at America's Warrior Partnership, I told my bosses about it, you know the program about it and they were like, absolutely let's figure it out. A local member decided he wanted to grant the wish of a lifetime”

That member donated full VIP tickets with access to Berckman’s Place and time to putt on the practice greens.

Endwisle says, “Right when I walked in it was overwhelming, it was just more than I could take in or express. Now that I’ve been here for a couple hours it, it’s everything I ever thought it would be.”

The non-profit 'Forge' gifted Ned everything he needed to take on the greens.

Now, Ned heads back to Alaska, with memories to last a lifetime. 

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