Arizona State’s Mason Andersen learns from his experience at the U.S. Open.
Mason Andersen was uncomfortable when he got to Wisconsin for the U.S. Open.
Not only was it the first career PGA Tour event for the incoming Arizona State freshman, but it was a major with people everywhere on the Erin Hills course – the most he’d ever played in front of.
“I felt really uncomfortable at first,” Andersen said. “When I showed up on Sunday, it was uncomfortable, and Monday it was still uncomfortable because that’s when people started to show up. Tuesday and Wednesday, I really started to settle in and Thursday and Friday I was just out there playing golf.”
Andersen, a graduate of Chandler Hamilton High School, missed the cut by one stroke, finishing two-over par after shooting two rounds of 73 on the par-72 course. He finished third among the 14 amateurs at the tournament. His father caddied for him.
“It was pretty crazy, but it was so much fun,” Andersen said. “I had a blast. It was exciting to have my dad by my side.”
Despite missing the cut, he finished above some of the best golfers in the world, including Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jason Dufner and Adam Scott.
“That’s nice to know that I can beat those guys,” Andersen said. “Then again, it was two days of golf and if I had made the cut, it probably would’ve been a little sweeter. We all missed the cut.”
Andersen said he made a couple mistakes here and there, but one in particular stood out in his mind. It was the eighth hole of the course and came on his second round. It was No. 17 for him, as he played the back nine first.
“I was trying really hard to make a birdie, and I just made a mental mistake,” Andersen said. “I blew my first putt past and ended up three-putting that hole and making a bogey.”
He bounced back with a birdie on the final hole, but he knew that the mistake prior would cost him.
Not knowing what to expect left him unsettled at the beginning of the week, as he had only ever watched a major on TV and not played in one, but he said he felt like he handled himself well and made the right adjustments. He said he was both scared and excited.
“I held my own,” Andersen said. “It’s the U.S. Open, there’s not that much room for error.”
He also noted that he felt the course was fair and that he had no issues with the tournament being played at Erin Hills.
“I felt like it was extremely fair,” Andersen said. “The rain obviously didn’t help. You soften any golf course at this level of golf, they’re going to be going right at the pin. The scores are going to be lower.”
Chip shots
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