 Van Pelt was born in Richmond, Indiana.He graduated from Richmond High, where he was a two time All-State golfer and the 1993 Fred Keesling Award winner He attended Oklahoma State University where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.Van Pelt initially started his career on the Nationwide Tour and won the Omaha Classic, his first and only Nationwide Tour title, in 2003 after shooting a final round of 62.