Two Fort Carson soldiers invited to play at the annual George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open golf tournament in Dallas, Texas, last week returned to Colorado Springs as the competition’s top scoring active duty Army competitors.

Though neither 1st Lt. Matt Anderson nor Staff Sgt. Jason Searles brought home the tournament’s title, Anderson placed seventh in the competition and first among active duty Army competitors, and Searles placed 13th and second respectively.

“I could have played better,” said Anderson, adding that the slope of the course, wind gusts and adjusting to near-sea level elevation made it difficult to play his best.

Searles also said that he wasn’t at the top of his game.

“I didn’t play my best,” he said. “That was pretty frustrating, but it was an amazing experience, period. Don’t think I’d ever change it.”

This summer the soldiers, both of whom have been playing golf since childhood, learned they’d been chosen to compete in the two-day, 22-man competition, open to severely wounded warriors and held at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving.

Applicants were required to have a verifiable golf handicap of 20 or less and submit copies of their military ID or discharge papers and a certificate of diagnosis.

Anderson’s lower right leg was shattered when he stepped on a mine during a 2011 deployment to Afghanistan’s Arghandab River Valley.

His leg was salvaged thanks to multiple surgeries.

Searles, whose unit replaced Anderson’s, lost his lower right leg when he stepped on a mine in the same valley later that year.

He also suffered additional injuries to his left bicep, hand and leg, and has endured multiple surgeries.

“When we got the call we were pretty surprised,” said Searles of his family’s reaction when he was notified that he’d been chosen for the tournament. “I wasn’t pessimistic, but it’s like winning the lottery. You get a ticket and you’re not thinking that you’re going to win.”

During the tournament competitors were treated to perks like a dinner at the Bush home featuring entertainment by Jay Leno and a performance by the Eli Young Band at another private dinner.

The men were also given the chance to play a practice round with former President George Bush and received personalized golf equipment.

Both Anderson and Searles said that picking a favorite part of the event is impossible.

“They whole event was phenomenal,” said Anderson, whose brother was flown out at his request to be his caddy during the tournament. “They made us feel so welcome and so at home. They almost made us feel like family.

“Meeting and playing a hole with the president was a highlight.”

Searles said he enjoyed the event’s relaxed atmosphere.

“Everyone knew your name and your story,” said Searles, whose wife and son were flown to the event with him. “It was amazing.”

Anderson has returned to duty but will soon undergo another major surgery.

He anticipates golf being a major motivator during rehab.

“You always want to play a better round than the last,” Anderson said. “That’s probably why I get so frustrated.”

Searles remains in Fort Carson’s Warrior Transition Unit and hopes to soon return to duty.

He will soon begin studies at Pikes Peak Community College and hopes to eventually become a biomedical engineer who designs prosthetics.

In the meantime, he’ll continue to play golf.

“I’d like to lower my handicap,” Searles said. “I do want to enter more tournaments.”

Staff Sgt. Jason Searles shakes the hand of President George Bush during the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open golf tournament for wounded warriors, held Sept. 24-25 in Dallas, Texas. Searles, who is stationed at Fort Carson, placed 13th in the tournament. Photo by Courtesy photo/Eric Draper