No gimmes given, U.S. Open berths are earned
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, successfully slogged through 36 holes Monday. So did 12-time PGA Tour winner Steve Stricker , an NHL referee named Garrett Rank and Stanford alums Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson.
Among those who fell short were three-time major champ Padraig Harrington, former world No. 1 Lee Westwood and two of the nation’s top college players this past season, Cal’s Collin Morikawa and USC’s Justin Suh (of San Jose). The lesson here: Only the scorecard matters.
U.S. Open sectional qualifying is a curious, distinctive, highly democratic challenge. Scott’s green jacket didn’t land him a spot in next week’s field at Shinnecock Hills in New York (his five-year Open exemption ended in 2017). This year, he had to earn it.
This is one cool way golf distinguishes itself from other sports. There’s no general manager making subjective evaluations, no coach deciding who gets playing time, not much value in long-ago achievements.
You want to play in America’s national championship? The No. 1 tee is right over there. Have at it, pal.
Cal alum Max Homa, who won the 2013 NCAA individual title and plays on the Web.com Tour, has tried to qualify for the Open several times. He made it in ’13. He missed by two shots Monday at the Olympic Club and Lake Merced.
Homa recalled playing alongside Champions Tour players (age 50 and older) one year and high school students the next. Now that definitely doesn’t happen in other sports.
“It’s cool that we’re even allowed to try to qualify,” Homa said. “The wide range of people who give it a whirl is interesting. Maybe the odds are against some people. But if they get hot for a day, they can play in the U.S. Open against Tiger and Phil.” Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, of course, didn’t need to worry about sectionals. (Woods was busy preparing to dock his yacht, “Privacy,” on Long Island for next week’s event.) They earned the right.
For most golfers with U.S. Open aspirations, the quest means playing 36 holes in one day — amid thick tension and rampant uncertainty. There are no leaderboards scattered around sectional sites, so players aren’t necessarily sure what they need to advance.
Take the case of Tim Widing, a 20-year-old from Sweden who recently completed his sophomore season at USF. Widing gave himself a tantalizing chance to qualify for the Open, when he shot 1-under-par 70 at Olympic’s Ocean Course and then stood 3-under through 17 holes at Lake Merced.
Widing figured a birdie on No. 18, a par-5, probably would vault him into a playoff for one of five available spots at Shinnecock. But he wasn’t entirely sure. He crushed his drive nearly 350 yards (downhill and downwind), then hit a clutch 5-iron shot from 205 yards to 5 feet.
Widing nervously sized up his eagle putt — and it lipped out. And he needed eagle, ultimately. His birdie left him at 5-under overall, one measly stroke short of forcing a playoff to reach the Open.
“It’s pretty tough to handle right now,” Widing said the next day. “I know that putt could have taken me to the U.S. Open.”
In the moments after his missed putt, Widing looked like a ghost. He wandered between the 18th green and nearby scoring table, stunned and crestfallen.
Widing also played hockey as a kid, but a sense of self-reliance steered him toward golf.
“I started playing golf because I trust myself and my own game, and I like challenges,” he said. “And golf is a game of challenges. I played against 85 other players (Monday), so the odds of winning weren’t very high. But I really like that challenge.”
Curry’s trouble with the curve: Now we know the roots of Warriors guard Stephen
Curry’s passion for golf. Curry’s dad, Dell, spoke on a conference call this week to promote next month’s American Century Championship, the celebrity event in South Lake Tahoe. Father and son plan to play in the tournament, July 13-15.
Dell Curry talked about his burgeoning baseball career before he pursued basketball — he was drafted by the Rangers and Orioles as a pitcher — and Stephen’s own flirtation with baseball. He played as a kid, at least until he ran into a familiar roadblock.
“When Steph found out he couldn’t hit a curveball, that’s when he took up golf,” Dell Curry said.
Briefly: Lucy Li (Redwood City) and Andrea Lee (Stanford) will represent the United States in the Curtis Cup starting Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y. The Curtis Cup is an amateur, match-play event pitting the U.S. against a team from Great Britain and Ireland. … John Dormann, the longtime women’s coach at San Jose State, announced his retirement last week. Dormann started at SJSU in 1998 and was a four-time conference coach of the year.