Lansburgh reaches final round
Woodland native 36 holes away from potentially qualifying for US Open
After a fantastic one-day round of local qualifying earlier this week, Woodland native and professional golfer Peter Lansburgh finds himself in familiar territory, 36 holes away from potentially qualifying for the USGA United
States Open Championship.
This past Monday at the Peach Tree Golf Course in Marysville, Lansburgh, a 2005 graduate from Woodland High School, shot a four-under-par, good enough for a second-place finish, two strokes behind winner Ethan Davidson.
“I played really, really solid that day,” Lansburgh recalls. “I didn’t make too many mistakes and kept it all stress-free and right in front of me. I’ve played so many qualifiers and tournaments in my life that you just learn to give it what you have, post a number, and see where you fall. I was very fortunate to be in the last group. So you can see what you have to do and what score you need to give yourself a shot.”
Lansburgh mentioned a clutch put on the last hole guaranteed his spot. Two players finished just one stroke behind him and missed out on the next round.
Out of the field of 75, only the top five advanced to the final U.S. Open qualifying rounds, which will take place between May 23 and June 6.
Lansburgh is set to play 36 grueling holes on June 6 in hopes of qualifying. While the pressure is undoubtedly on, he feels he’s in a great spot right now, especially since it will be his fourth time coming this far.
“I’m very confident going in,” Lansburgh said. “I have been shooting low scores around town. It really helps my mentality of not being afraid to go really low. If I can get into that five or six strokes under par range with plenty of holes to go, I like the idea of keeping the pedal to the metal and going as low as I possibly can. If you have it going, why wouldn’t you feel like you can keep going.”
Lansburgh isn’t sure where he’ll play as of yet but had two choices. He chose a course in Columbus, Ohio, and The Olympic Club in Daily City.
Until then, Lansburgh hopes to remain consistent with his preparation. After being forced to take it easy the past few years due to COVID-19, he feels
as good as ever.
“I’ll be playing in a tournament in the third week of May, so getting a few more competitive reps under my belt will be good,” Lansburgh said. “Playing around Sacramento feels like a great recipe for what I’ve been doing. Every year I’ve gotten better, shot lower scores, and picked up some records, so I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
He also isn’t worried about being physically or mentally rusty.
“When you’re in a competition, there is a higher level of mental strategy compared to playing around Sacramento,” Lansburgh points out. “I’d say that’s where there may be rust. There will also be nerves to kick out if you have high expectations for yourself. So all those thoughts come up, but you just snap yourself back into competitive mode, trying to execute and move along.”
This year, the Open Championship, commonly
known as the U.S. Open, is set for June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. It is the third of the four major championships in golf, including The Masters, The PGA Championship, and the British Open.
“Out of all the work I’ve done over the years, this is why I’ve done it. To be in chances like this,” Lansburgh said. “At the same time, it’s exciting to see that I can still get here no matter how long I’ve been doing it.”