Lost clubs all part of chaos for hotshot Cal
UNKNOWN Callum Tarren was left in shock after shooting to the top of the leaderboard early on day one at Brookline.
The Englishman, based in the US, is No.445 in the world and was a surprise early pacesetter in Boston, albeit he insisted he felt right at home.
Tarren, 32, grew up in Darlington before climbing the ladder Stateside and was thrilled with a threeunder 67 after a stressful start to the week when his clubs went AWOL.
He said: “I’m kind of pinching myself. I’m just excited with my start.
“Let’s see what the next few days holds. I started off a little bit shaky. I won’t lie, I was nervous. I had 25 feet on my first hole and three putted it, which wasn’t great. But then after three or four holes I kind of settled into the round.
“I grew up in the UK and this course has a little bit of a links feel, so I’m pretty comfortable.”
Tarren, whose round included an eagle three on the eighth, felt less cool when he pitched up earlier in the week without his gear for the second time at a Major.
He said: “I flew from Canada on Saturday.
“I was at the airport four hours early because people warned me it’s a nightmare up there in Toronto. I got here – no clubs. There were five other players on my flight.
“They all got golf clubs, so it was the second US Open I’ve played in and second time no golf clubs.
“This time I got them a little bit faster than last. I didn’t actually get them until Wednesday in Pebble Beach a few years ago, so that was a nightmare.
“Luckily there was somebody in Canada who went to the airport and gave the staff a little kick.
“They arrived on Sunday at 2pm. It wasn’t bad.”