He won the 2010 Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championships at Denver Country Club after scoring a 6-under par 204 (69-66-66) and then beating Kevin Tway on the second playoff hole.

[1] As an amateur he played in the 2011 U.S. Open after tying for top spot in sectional qualifying.

He also played in the Nordea Masters where he finished tied for 35th and the Irish Open where he missed the cut.

He finished tied for 24th in the European Tour Qualifying School and earned his card for the 2012 season.

Four years later Rory McIlroy stayed with the Pinckney family in Utah for three months, playing various junior events.