Tag: Brighthouse Golf

Under the radar no more: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shoots into contention at 2022 U.S. Open

Masters champ Scottie Scheffler: “I don’t really feel like there’s much chatter going around with me.”

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Can the No. 1-ranked player in the world really fly under the radar?

He seems to think so.

“I feel like I’m kind of an under-the-radar person. I don’t really feel like there’s much chatter going around with me. Rory won last week, Tiger was at the PGA,” said Scottie Scheffler, whose reign at the top began in March after he won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship. “I’ve been No. 1 in the world for a while now, and it doesn’t really feel like it, so I kind of like just under the radar. I can show up and do my thing and then go home and rest.”

Scheffler, 25, overcame a slow start to shoot 3-under 67 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and share the clubhouse lead with Nick Hardy at 3-under 137. Having already won the Masters in April as World No. 1, Scheffler is trying to join Tiger Woods in rare company. Woods is the only player to win the U.S. Open while World No. 1, doing it three times in 2000, 2002 and 2008.

U.S. Open: Photos | Leaderboard | How to watch

On Friday, Scheffler also tied for the low round of the day – among the morning finishers – with his good friend and roommate this week, Sam Burns.

“I am a little upset he’s beat me by one,” said Burns, who shot 2-under 138 at the halfway point of the 122nd U.S. Open. “But yeah, it’s cool to see him playing well. Obviously he’s had a fantastic year, and it’s kind of motivated me to try to play a little bit better and try to keep up with him.”

Early in his second round, it appeared that Scheffler might be more likely to be flirting with the cut line rather than the 36-hole lead. He chunked a chip from around 40 yards on the tightly mowed grass short of the fifth green and made bogey. Then he took three putts at the par-3 sixth to drop another stroke to par.

“Two silly bogeys early in the round, but outside of that I hit it really good,” Scheffler said. “I was in position most of the day. If a few more putts would have fallen in versus around the edge, it would have been a really special day. But 3-under was a good score for me, especially being 2-over through 6.”

Scheffler, who played at The Country Club in the 2013 U.S. Amateur and is making his fifth U.S. Open appearance, could have been deflated with his start but he proved to be unfazed.

“Hadn’t really made a bad swing yet. But that’s just U.S. Open; it’s just hard,” said Scheffler, who has gained more than six strokes to the field with his approach play through two rounds. “Sometimes I just need to kind of get woken up a little bit. I think using frustration for good versus getting angry is really helpful.”

Scheffler played his last 11 holes in 5 under, highlighted by a hole out for eagle at 14. Scheffler’s second shot at the par-5 clipped a tree and he caught a good lie in the rough. His pitch landed just short of the green and rolled straight for the cup. Caddie Ted Scott leaped in for a chest bump, but their high five could use some practice. NBC’s Mike Tirico called them out for their “awkward celebration.”

But there was nothing wrong with how Scheffler rallied from a sluggish start and kept himself in the hunt for his fifth win of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season and a potential second major title.

“I like the challenge,” Scheffler said of playing in the U.S. Open. “I think these events are really hard obviously. For me it’s kind of fun just challenging yourself like that.”

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Prize money for the 2022 U.S. Open: Winner to make more than $2.2 million, second more than $1 million

The winner of the 122nd U.S. Open will make serious bank. Second-place money is also in the seven figures.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — The third men’s major of the year headed towards the weekend at Brookline, Massachusetts, at The Country Club, a beautiful New England golf course just outside Boston.

The field is not only competing for a historic title but a historic paycheck as well.

The winner of the 122nd U.S. Open this Sunday will receive a check for more than $2.2 million — $2,250,000 to be exact. The runner-up will go home with more than $1 million.

For comparison, Justin Thomas took home $2.7 million last month after winning the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler also earned $2.7 million in April for winning the Masters.

Here’s the full breakdown of payouts for the 2022 U.S. Open:

Finish Money
1 $2,250,000
2 $1,350,00
3 $861,457
4 $603,903
5 $502,993
6 $445,997
7 $402,083
8 $360,113
9 $325,916
10 $299,360
11 $273,194
12 $252,597
13 $235,369
14 $217,234
15 $201,689
16 $188,735
17 $178,372
18 $168,009
19 $157,646
20 $147,283
21 $138,345
22 $129,407
23 $120,728
24 $112,697
25 $105,702
26 $99,743
27 $95,209
28 $91,194
29 $87,308
30 $83,422
31 $79,535
32 $75,649
33 $71,763
34 $68,266
35 $65,416
36 $62,566
37 $59,846
38 $57,255
39 $54,664
40 $52,074
41 $49,483
42 $46,892
43 $44,301
44 $41,711
45 $39,120
46 $36,788
47 $34,456
48 $32,254
49 $30,959
50 $29,664
51 $28,886
52 $28,239
53 $27,720
54 $27,461
55 $27,202
56 $26,943
57 $26,684
58 $26,425
59 $26,166
60 $25,907

The U.S. Golf Association does provide a $10,000 paycheck for everyone who misses the cut but that does not count as official money.

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Scott Stallings is ‘home’ at U.S. Open: ‘I’m a confused New England redneck. But I can speak both languages’

Stallings was born in Worcester and lived there until he was three years old before his family moved to Tennessee.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — You would never know by his voice but Scott Stallings is from Massachusetts.

The professional golfer was born in Worcester and lived there until he was three years old before his family moved to Tennessee. That’s where Stallings developed his southern drawl.

“I’m a confused New England redneck. But I can speak both languages,” Stallings, 37, said. “I can roll the Rs, drag the As and I can take 10 minutes to say one sentence. I always say I learned the language from my mom.”

A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Stallings is in Brookline this week for the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club.

“This one means a little bit more…,” Stallings wrote in a note on social media on May 23. “Not often a major championship is played in New England, so to qualify for this in Massachusetts – where I’m from and where a lot of my family still lives … this is special.”

U.S. Open: Photos | Leaderboard | How to watch

Although he’s excited to be back in Boston, the burly golfer says he’s on a business trip. But that mindset didn’t stop him from indulging in Italian food in the North End or discussing the option of jumping on a duck boat with his kids.

“As much as it is exciting to be here and definitely (is) my favorite city, it’s still work. So that’s first and foremost,” Stallings said. “… At the end of the day it’s a golf tournament. There’s 18 holes start to finish. So put your head down and deal with it.”

Last year, Stallings signed a partnership with NOBULL – a footwear, apparel and accessory brand that also sponsors New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. During practice rounds this week, an entourage of people wearing NOBULL clothing followed Stallings around.

One of those people was Matt O’Keefe, of Massachusetts. O’Keefe and Stallings became friends four years ago through fitness training.

“He helps me with golf and I help him with fitness,” said O’Keefe, who went to Boston College. “He wouldn’t agree with that, but that’s sort of how we met.”

Scott Stallings plays a shot from the rough onto the fifth green during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Photo: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

O’Keefe caddied for Stallings for all three of his practice rounds. The two have become close through fitness – and their love of Boston sports.

“I’m so happy for him,” O’Keefe said. “I know this was one of the top goals he had – especially this year but maybe of his career – to come home because how often do you get to play in a major championship in your hometown?”

One hint that Stallings has ties to Boston is his yardage book. On one side is a red ‘B’ Boston Red Sox logo and the other a New England Patriots logo.

On Tuesday, Stallings and his family toured Fenway Park and attended a Sox game. Stallings posted a photo on social media of his wife and two kids sitting in the Green Monster seats with the caption of “Doesn’t get much better” followed by a red heart and baseball emoji.

Two days later, Stallings teed it up on the 10th hole to start his third Open championship.

He began with a bogey on the 500-yard Par 4 before securing two pars. Stallings then bogeyed the 437-yard Par 4 13th hole before he recovered on the next hole with a birdie. Yet Stallings couldn’t get it going after that and carded three more bogeys to finish with a 4-over-par 74.

“Not my best on the course today, but this is a win,” Stallings posted on Instagram following the round as he referenced a picture of a braid he made in his daughter’s hair. “Better tomorrow @usopengolf.”

Scott Stallings plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

In 2019, Stallings missed an Open cut with an 80-74 at Shinnecock Hills while he made the cut in 2013 at Merion Golf Club and finished tied for 53rd. This year, he’s hoping to compete on the weekend.

“You obviously have places throughout your season and career that you tend to focus on and want to be ready for and this has definitely been one of them,” Stallings said. “I did the work to get here. We’re not just here to participate. We’re here to compete.”

“This is going to be a wild weekend and I hope Scott is there to experience it because I think the crowd will get around him being a hometown kid,” O’Keefe said.

Stallings starts his second round on Friday at Hole No. 1 with a 1:14 p.m. tee time.

Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.

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Magical 17th hole at The Country Club set for more drama in U.S. Open that began more than 100 years ago with Francis Ouimet

If history is prologue, the 17th hole will play a crucial role in the outcome of the 122nd U.S. Open.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. – The opening scenes in what would later become perhaps golf’s greatest storybook ending, a fascinating tale that has resonated for more than 100 years, were set in what can only be called a perfect setting.

Across the street from The Country Club, founded in 1882 and one of the five founding clubs of the U.S. Golf Association, Francis Ouimet grew up in the modest, six-room, 1,500-square-foot home at 246 Clyde Street.

Looking out the window of his second-floor bedroom, he woke to a view of the 17th hole of The Country Club, which he would walk across to get to school and where he would later caddie and fall in love with the game.

And then, at age 20, he became a folk hero and changed the path of the game’s history over the sacred ground outside Boston.

In authoring arguably the biggest upset in the chronicles of golf, Ouimet took down Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, the two best golfers of the time, to win the 1913 U.S. Open in a playoff at The Country Club that drew up to 20,000, mostly blue-collar workers each round.

Francis Ouimet
After winning the 1913 U.S. Open, Brookline’s Francis Ouimet (rear) credited his caddie, 10-year-old Eddie Lowery. Ouimet later dedicated this photo, writing over Lowery’s towel, “This is the boy who won the 1913 Open.”

And as it turned out, it was at the 17th where two of Ouimet’s biggest moments unfolded. In the final round, Ouimet, an amateur who had to be talked into entering the championship by his friends, came to the hole nicknamed “The Elbow” trailing by one shot. At the time, the dogleg-left hole was playing to 275 yards. After reaching the green with his approach, Ouimet made a long birdie putt to tie for the lead and joined Vardon and Ray in an 18-hole playoff the following day after making par on the 72nd hole.

In the playoff, with Ray out of contention, Vardon trailed Ouimet by one when the group arrived at the 17th tee. Vardon tried to cut the corner and wound up in the lone bunker that bears his name. Ouimet found the fairway. Vardon had to lay up and made bogey while Ouimet made birdie again for a three-stroke lead.

Ouimet polished off his startling win on the final hole.

The game exploded across the land. And the 17th took root as the course’s pivotal hole, later home to more magical, game-changing moments to decide championships. If history is prologue, the penultimate hole on the scorecard – which will play out to 373 yards this week for the 122nd U.S. Open and now features four bunkers on the left of the fairway bend and numerous mounds – will play a crucial role in the outcome.

“It’s unique,” reigning PGA champion Justin Thomas said. “Unlike a lot of holes out here that are pretty self-explanatory off the tee, it’s just am I going to hit a driver or am I going to hit a 3-wood, whatever it is? That hole presents a lot of opportunities of different clubs off the tees.

“Especially with how a lot of guys are playing nowadays. A handful of guys are probably going to hit driver, try to hit it right in front of the green. Or if you get a helping wind, maybe the tee is up, you can knock it on the green. But then again, I’m sure the rough is going to be nasty up there to where you get opposition. It’s tough, and then it’s, like, do you lay up? Do you lay up to a good number?

“It’s a hole that you can have a two-shot swing on it pretty quickly for it being a pretty short, easy hole, but it’s really just going to be how you want to attack it or approach it once you get to that point, especially come Saturday and Sunday.”

1963 U.S. Open
Julius Boros poses with the trophy after winning the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Next to him is Francis Ouimet, the 1913 U.S. Open champion and honorary chairman of the tournament. (Photo: Associated Press)

When the U.S. Open returned to The Country Club 50 years later, the 17th was decisive in Julius Boros’ victory. In the final round, Arnold Palmer missed a two-foot putt that put him two strokes behind the leader, Jacky Cupit, who a few holes later made double bogey after an errant drive. That led to a three-man playoff, with Boros joining them the next day. Boros birdied the 17th in the final round and again in the playoff to win the national championship.

Twenty-five years later, the third U.S. Open at The Country Club featured more histrionics. After taking the lead with a 25-foot birdie on the 16th in the final round, Curtis Strange three-putted the 17th from 15 feet. He saved par from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Nick Faldo.

Strange made a knee-knocking four-footer for par on the 17th to secure his victory in the playoff for the first of his two consecutive U.S. Open wins.

1988 U.S. Open
Curtis Strange and his wife Sarah kiss the U.S. Open Championship trophy at the 1988 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. (Photo: Peter Southwick/Associated Press)

And then there was the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club. Facing a four-point deficit entering singles play, the Americans staged a ferocious comeback that was capped for victory on the 17th hole.

That’s where Justin Leonard, who was 4 down earlier in his match against Jose Maria Olazabal, holed a 45-foot putt that set off a premature, frenzied celebration as the U.S. team flooded the green despite Olazabal’s chance to make his putt and keep the match going.

After the green was finally cleared, Olazabal missed his putt and the U.S. won.

Nineteen-year-old Sergio Garcia played brilliantly for Europe that week; he is one of three players in this week’s field to have played in the 1999 Ryder Cup, the other two being Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson.

“It’s not overly long, and you have a wedge to the green. But the green is always tricky,” Garcia said. “But it always feels if you hit a decent shot to the green it always feels you have a birdie putt because the green is small.

“It’s tricky, the two-tiered green, especially if it gets a little firm, like it was in the Ryder Cup, and then the back pin is very difficult to get to. There’s a very small area to land your ball and if you hit it too hard it can easily one hop over the green, and then you have a difficult up-and-down.

And if you fly it on the bottom, trying to skip it up there, it’s tough to get up the slope. But that’s the beauty of all the old designs. The greens are small, and the areas where you have to hit the ball are very tiny and you have to be very precise.”

Chances are another eerie moment or two will take place on the 17th hole this week. It will be the latest entry to the legend Ouimet ignited in 1913.

“That’s what’s so good about golf is the history and the tradition and these stories,” McIlroy said. “The fact that he grew up just off the 17th hole here, and we’re still talking about it to this day over 100 years on. That’s so cool.

“That’s the great thing about this sport.”

And the 17th hole.

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Can this local player replicate Francis Ouimet’s U.S. Open performance?

Local amateur Francis Ouimet won the 1913 U.S. Open. Now, Michael Thorbjornsen is attempting the same feat.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — Francis Ouimet. Michael Thorbjornsen.

They may be separated by more than 100 years, but the goal is the same: Win the U.S. Open.

In 1913, Ouimet, who grew up across the street from The Country Club, claimed the Open championship as a 20-year-old amateur. Now, 109 years later, Thorbjornsen, who grew up 15 minutes away from the famed course in Brookline, is attempting to do the same.

“It’s really cool the position that I’m in and how it emulates Francis a little bit,” Thorbjornsen said. “But, I mean, I’m a different person than him. I’m going to try to do the same thing that he did and just hope for the best.”

Hometown kid tries to win U.S. Open

This isn’t Thorbjornsen’s first jaunt at a U.S. Open.

In 2018, he won the U.S. Junior Amateur. The victory earned Thorbjornsen a spot in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach — where he made the cut as a 17-year-old and finished 79th.

The Wellesley High grad is trying to do a little better this time around. Thorbjornsen will tee off as part of the opening group at 6:45 a.m. ET Thursday.

“My game has definitely gotten a lot better,” Thorbjornsen said. “I’m just excited to go out and play on Thursday.”

This week, Thorbjornsen has enjoyed a growing entourage.

Friends and family flock each fairway during practice rounds. On his bag is longtime friend and now caddie, Drew Cohen, who graduated from Wellesley High with Thorbjornsen in 2020. The two friends even bought matching T-shirts that have “1913” written on the front with a silhouette of Ouimet and his caddie, Eddie Lowery.

“Definitely trying to channel that energy this week,” Thorbjornsen said.

“He’s a hometown kid, he’s an amateur and I feel like that says it right there,” Cohen said. “We’re going to try to pull off something special here.”

To get to Brookline, Thorbjornsen secured one of three spots in an eight-player playoff at the Final Qualifying in Purchase, New York. The Stanford sophomore has had a solid build-up to the qualifying as he compiled a 70.66 stroke average during his 2021-22 season.

Now, he’s competing for a major championship as an amateur.

“It feels like a home event,” Thorbjornsen said. “That’s why it feels really good just having all the support. It’s kind of nerve-wracking out there, just playing in the U.S. Open, especially 15 minutes away from my house. All the help, all the support, (it) definitely helps a lot.”

His father is his coach

Joining Thorbjornsen this week is his golf coach, who also happens to be his father.

The last time Thorbjorsen saw his dad, Ted, in person was in 2019 at the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst. Ted, who lives in Abu Dhabi, made sure he wasn’t going to miss seeing his son play in Brookline this week.

“It’s nice seeing your son at the U.S. Open,” Ted said. “That’s what you wish for. I know that’s what he’s been wishing for so, so long. You don’t get such an opportunity, again, when you’re 20 years old at The Country Club.”

At a news conference on Monday, Thorbjornsen mentioned he and his father do the best they can with his swing mechanics despite being separated by a couple thousand miles. He also had a special message for his father at the presser.

“It’s really good to have you out here, Dad,” Thorbjornsen said. “Thanks for coming.”

The entire Wellesley community will come in droves on Thursday and Friday to see Michael Thorbjornsen tee it up. He’s hoping to replicate what another amateur did more than a century ago.

“It almost seems like a dream but it’s a reality,” Cohen said.

“I’m just extremely grateful for these two opportunities to play against the best players in the world,” Thorbjornsen said, “and (I’m) just really looking forward to start on Thursday.”

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U.S. Open: Grounds director worked with Gil Hanse, USGA to prep The Country Club

Johnson has worked with Gil Hanse to restore greens and with the USGA to narrow fairways and grow rough.

When Dave Johnson snuck on to play Nichols College Golf Course in Dudley, Massachusetts, when he was young, the thought never crossed his mind that he’d become director of grounds at a U.S. Open golf course.

“I’m not even sure that I knew what the U.S. Open was at that age,” he said. “I was so young.”

Nevertheless, it’s true. Johnson has been working with the United States Golf Association to prepare to host the U.S. Open this week at The Country Club in Brookline.

Where will that U.S. Open week rank among his career highlights?

“I’ve got to say it’s right at the top,” he said. “How could it not be? I’ve done a lot of fun things, but I’ve never done this, running the show. I’ve been to U.S. Opens, but this is definitely going to be the Mecca.”

The best golfers in the world will tee off on the course that Johnson has maintained since he came to TCC, one of the five founding clubs of the USGA, in March 2018.

“A little bit of pressure, I will say that,” he said, “but in general, the field I’m in, golf course superintendents, every day we try to make our golf courses the best we can for whoever it is who’s playing our golf courses. So to have the best in the world play the property that you present every day, it’s really why we do this, and it’s exciting.”

Dave Johnson at The Country Club in Brookline where he is director of grounds. (Bill Doyle/Telegram-Gazette)

Collaborative effort indeed

Johnson picked the brain of his predecessor, Bill Spence, who retired after working at TCC for 33 years and who was superintendent when the U.S. Open was last held at TCC in 1988. But mostly, Johnson has worked with architect Gil Hanse to restore greens and with the USGA to narrow fairways and grow rough.

“Dave is fantastic to work with,” said Jeff Hall, USGA managing director of rules and open championships. “Obviously, his technical skills with agronomy and all, that’s not where I shine. I know just enough about grass to make it grow, but he understands all of that. But he’s really made the effort to understand what we are contemplating and talking about from a set-up standpoint and of playability. He’s been a wonderful partner, he and his team.”

Johnson has impressed Hall with his even temperament.

“He’s just a steady heartbeat,” he said. “I don’t know that it ever gets too fast or too slow, just very steady. No matter what we talk about, throw at him, discuss, it’s been fantastic to work with Dave.”

“If you get too emotional in this business that’s not going to work out too well,” TCC director of golf Brendan Walsh said, “and he’s got a great staff, people that love working with him, as I always like to use the term, not working ‘for’ him. He’s done a wonderful job training his individuals, giving them a sense of autonomy to go out there and do great things and let them learn. We’re really happy to have him. I’ve really enjoyed working with him.”

When Johnson was in the seventh grade, his family moved to the other side of Dudley and bought a house across the street from the third hole at Nichols College GC, now named Dudley Hill Golf Club. At Shepherd Hill Regional, he played for the golf team and worked on the grounds crew at Nichols. After graduating from UMass-Amherst with a degree in plant and soil science, he worked as an assistant superintendent at Wachusett CC and then as superintendent at Whitinsville GC and at the Wianno Club in Osterville before TCC hired him as director of grounds.

Now four years later, the club is preparing to host the U.S. Open for the fourth time. Each of the previous three was decided by an 18-hole playoff. If there’s a playoff this year, it will be a two-hole aggregate score. The playoff rule was changed in 2018.

In 1913, Francis Ouimet recorded what is considered to be the greatest upset and most impactful victory in golf history. The 20-year-old amateur, who lived in a house adjacent to the 17th hole at the club where he used to caddie, defeated the highly favored Brittons Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff. Ouimet’s victory is credited with popularizing golf in America.

In 1963, Julius Boros defeated Arnold Palmer and Jacky Culprit in the playoff. Worcester native Paul Harney finished a stroke back.

In 1988, Curtis Strange defeated Nick Faldo in the playoff, and he repeated as U.S. Open champion by a shot the following year.

Flags blow in the wind on the 15th hole during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Monday, June 13, 2022. (James Gilbert/USGA)

Long preparation for Open

The USGA started preparing five or six years ago with Johnson and his staff for the 2022 U.S. Open.

“It’s exciting for me,” Johnson said, “it’s exciting for my team that’s worked so hard to get here and prepared this property, and it means a lot to my family. They’ve been by my side the whole time. So yeah, it’s very meaningful. This is why we work so hard, for moments like this.”

Johnson’s wife, Maryanne, and oldest daughter, Val, 18, will volunteer in the merchandise tent during U.S. Open week, and his youngest daughter, Sammy, 16, will volunteer in the clubhouse. His parents, Wayne and Joyce, who live in Webster, will attend the U.S. Open as fans.

Johnson has a staff of 36 workers, including two superintendents and a horticulturist. Aidan O’Sullivan, who worked with Johnson at Whitinsville and later served as assistant superintendent at Green Hill Municipal Golf Course, is one of Johnson’s lead assistants. Shaughn Mitchell, who grew up in Clinton and worked at Oak Hill, Sterling National and Wedgewood Pines, is also an assistant at TCC.

One hundred volunteers, many of them golf course superintendents at other clubs, will help Johnson and his staff.

“So many of those volunteers are superintendents at other clubs with big jobs,” Hall said, “and here that week as volunteers, they’re slinging hoses or raking bunkers. No task is beneath them because they’re going to help one of their own shine, and it’s such a wonderful tradition. But the outside-the-ropes folks don’t get much sleep, either, whether it’s trying to manage parking and traffic flows, and if we get weather, that makes life more challenging, but we’ll crown a champion, and it will be all worth it in the end.”

Members of the grounds staff work on the course during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)

Long days

The first tee must be ready by 6:30 a.m. for the opening round on Thursday.

“So we have to have the entire golf course prepared,” Johnson said, “and get 100 people back to our complex before all the fans get in here. So we do it in the middle of the night. Our shift will start at 3 a.m.”

They’ll be riding their maintenance vehicles with the lights on.

The maintenance staff will finish the morning shift at about 8 or 9. Then they’ll return about 4:30 p.m. and be out on the course by 5:30 or 6 p.m. to mow and do whatever else needs to be done.

“Hopefully, everybody’s in bed by 10 p.m.,” Johnson said.

Johnson and much of his staff will stay in rented housing next to the club. Volunteers will be shuttled in from their housing at Boston College.

Because of the wear and tear caused by the fans and the numerous stands and hospitality tents, Johnson said he doesn’t expect TCC to return to normal property conditions until Christmas.

The USGA began erecting tents at TCC in early March.

“Fortunately, up the middle, the championship course will be in great condition,” Johnson said, “and our members will play that golf course.”

Members will be able to play TCC until nine or 10 days before the U.S. Open begins.

Johnson said he hasn’t had many calls from friends asking for U.S. Open tickets.

“I think they know the answer,” he said. “I probably can’t help them.”

—Contact Bill Doyle at bcdoyle15@charter.net. Follow him on Twitter@BillDoyle15.

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Long car ride from Arizona to Oregon for qualifying pays off for Oklahoma Sooner standout Ben Lorenz, who will play in 2022 U.S. Open with his brother as caddie

Ben Lorenz drove with his brother Blake from their hometown in Arizona to Oregon for U.S. Open qualifying.

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PEORIA, Ariz. — On the night of June 4, Ben and Blake Lorenz hopped in their 2010 Honda Accord and began the drive northwest.

They reached Las Vegas at around 2 a.m. to catch a few hours of sleep before continuing the trek to Bend, Oregon, more than 12 hours away. At 10:30 p.m. on June 5, they finally arrived at their hotel.

“It was a long two days, honestly three days on the road,” Blake said. “A lot of hours spent, a lot of miles logged, but definitely worth it.”

That’s because Ben, a Peoria native and rising junior at Oklahoma, earned the last of three qualifying spots at Bend’s Pronghorn Golf Club for the 2022 U.S. Open. Blake, also a golfer for the Sooners, saw it all as his brother’s caddie.

“It was super cool,” Ben said. “We’ve played so much with each other growing up and we both caddied for each other in a lot of other events. It felt normal just cause he was on the bag. It was a cool moment.”

The brothers, who are two years apart, started golf at different times, yet their paths converged on the course.

Ben Lorenz
Ben Lorenz was a standout high school golfer at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Arizona Republic)

Both went to Sunrise Mountain High School in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria and won state championships their senior year. Both joined Oklahoma, one of the top men’s college golf programs in the country.

Now, both are headed to The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Ben will take part in his first professional event this week.

“I think this is going to go down in our family lore,” said Jennifer Lorenz, Ben and Blake’s mother.

The way Ben clinched his U.S. Open appearance might as well.

Since he was one of the first players to tee off, Ben had to wait two hours to begin his playoff match because as golfers were still on the course.

Yet he never lost momentum and defeated Boise State alumnus Ty Travis in two extra holes.

When he arrived in Oregon, Ben knew he was a “long shot” to make the U.S. Open. Yet he believed that putting together a few good rounds could give him a chance to earn a spot in one of professional golf’s most prestigious events.

That’s exactly what he did by shooting a 71-67 to beat out over 60 golfers.

“He’s been playing some really, really good golf as of late,” Blake said. “I’m super excited that he gets to share the stage with the best players in the world and show off his skill sets.”

Now 20, Ben has come a long way from watching VHS tapes of Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus as a toddler.

Ben’s passion for golf began at age three, according to Jennifer, and was a vehicle for developing a bond with his brother.

Blake said that because his parents “didn’t want (Ben) alone out there,” he would play on the course for hours with his younger brother. As a result, Blake became a part of his “support system,” and also gained experience that would eventually lead him to the Sooners’ golf program.

Meanwhile, Ben took part in junior tournaments when his family moved from Oregon to Arizona and, like his brother, found success on the high-school level at Sunrise Mountain.

“A lot of the better players have grown up in the Phoenix area, Scottsdale (area),” Ben said. “I hopefully can inspire some other golfers from this region to push themselves and try to be the best. It can really happen to anyone out here.”

He certainly set a standard for golfers from Peoria by not only making the U.S. Open, but also earning a spot on the Oklahoma squad that played last month in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Scottsdale’s Grayhawk Golf Club.

The brothers won’t be the only Oklahoma representatives in Massachusetts next week. Fellow Sooner Chris Gotterup, who won the Haskins Award given to the top collegiate golfer, clinched a U.S. Open berth as well.

Ben plans to link up with Gotterup during practice rounds, as well as try to meet players he idolizes, including Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

But once he tees off, it’s business as usual.

“I’m just going to stick to my normal routine,” Ben said. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the prestige of the U.S. Open and just overthink it. I’m just going to treat it like any other event. I feel like my game’s in a good spot and I’m just going to see what happens and enjoy the process.”

There to help with that will be Blake.

While the brothers will no longer be college teammates — Blake is graduating from Oklahoma this summer and using his final two years of eligibility at Wichita State — they are looking forward to embracing special moments together on the fairways, greens and bunkers in northeast Massachusetts.

“I’m really stoked for him,” Blake said, “and just glad that I could be a part of it and have a little bit of my finger on that whole situation.”

Ben Lorenz will be paired with Davis Shore and amateur Sam Stevens in the first two rounds, teeing off at 2:20 p.m. ET Thursday and 8:35 a.m. ET Friday.

Other Arizona golfers at Brookline

Jesse Mueller, Matt McCarty and Chan Kim will be bringing a piece of Arizona to Massachusetts after getting through USGA qualifying.

Mueller, a volunteer assistant coach at Grand Canyon University, recently played in the PGA Championship as one of 20 club professionals. He clinched his spot at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, where he played in the 2012 U.S. Open.

McCarty, a Scottsdale native and Desert Mountain High School graduate, played collegiately at Santa Clara and is a professional golfer on the Korn Ferry Tour. After carding birdies on two of his last three regulation holes at the Ansley Golf Club in Roswell, Georgia, he won a playoff hole to earn a trip to the Open.

Kim, currently ranked No. 107 in the world, played at Arizona State before turning professional in 2010. He has seven international victories. Kim played in the final qualifier at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club in Powell, Ohio. This will be his fifth U.S. Open appearance.

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Lynch: Phil Mickelson logs yet another U.S. Open disappointment, but on Monday for a change

For Phil Mickelson, the majors are just collateral damage.

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Over three decades, fans of Phil Mickelson have become accustomed to his shortcomings at the U.S. Open. There’ve been three solo second-place finishes, a trio of ties for second, and a couple fourths, each failed tilt at the National Open—30, in all—making its own fibrous contribution to his scar tissue. Not since the rain-plagued 109th Open at Bethpage Black has Mickelson authored one of his disappointments on a Monday, but he got it out of the way at the 122nd Open before most fans were even on the grounds at The Country Club.

Mickelson’s press conference was his first time facing U.S. media since becoming the poster boy and most prominent apologist for LIV Golf, the series of sportswashing events funded by the Saudi Arabian regime that kicked off last week in the U.K. Questions were plentiful about his new venture—which earned him a suspension from the PGA Tour but not from the U.S. Open, where Jay Monahan’s writ does not run—but meaningful answers were scarce. Instead, Mickelson produced an exercise in evasions that would rival a pitcher dodging line drives at Fenway.

When a reporter raised the highly critical letter sent to him and other Saudi-allied players by the families of victims of the September 11 attacks, Mickelson cut her short. “I’ve read all that. Is there a question in there?” he snapped.

There was: “How do you explain to them—not to us, to them—what you have decided to do?”

“I have deep, deep empathy for them,” was all he could muster.

Another questioner asked if he was concerned that his fan base might shrink now that he’s aligned with Saudi sportswashing. Mickelson responded by scolding the reporter for posing several questions in one, none of which he was particularly keen to answer. “If fans would leave or whatnot, I respect and I understand their opinions,” he replied. “I understand that they have strong feelings and strong emotions regarding this choice, and I certainly respect them.”

Nothing by way of explanation for his choice, merely trite expressions of understanding if anyone is upset by that choice.

2022 U.S. Open
Phil Mickelson speaks in a press conference during a practice round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club. (Photo: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports)

There were umpteen other inquiries that Mickelson didn’t much care to delve into, among them his relationships with other players, his standing with sponsors, his concept of legacy, his future on the PGA Tour, and even the motivation behind LIV. “I’ll have to defer to those at LIV Golf. It was their idea. It was their brain trust or child, their thoughts and ideas that they brought to fruition,” he said, perhaps forgetting that he previously admitted to working on the founding charter for LIV.

Even when lobbed a relative softball—Has the criticism he’s faced been unduly harsh?—he weaved, opting not to address the criticism, nor why it has been leveled, but instead offering another hackneyed evasion. “The important thing is that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I understand that it brings out a lot of strong emotions for a lot of people, and I respect the way they may or may not feel about it,” he said. Thus he cast his dismissal of Saudi human rights abuses and his eagerness to auction professional golf to MBS as a mere difference of opinion, on a par with choosing Clemens over Pedro as the greatest Sox pitcher in a barroom vote.

Twice Mickelson did offer rationales on how LIV will be “transformative.” One was the team format, which drew tens of (non-paying) spectators at the Centurion Club near London last week, and not many more to the livestream. The other was geographic. “I believe moving tournaments throughout the world and bringing that type of championship golf to different parts of the world is going to have a very positive effect globally on the sport,” he said.

In just the last 20 years, the PGA Tour staged 98 tournaments outside the domestic U.S. in 13 countries. Mickelson competed in barely a quarter of them. His unconvincing attempt to position himself as a missionary for the game merely exposed him as a mercenary.

“There’s an obvious incredible financial commitment,” he finally admitted, “but more than that for all the players involved there are other factors that with fewer tournaments, it allows me to have more balance in my life.”

More than once, Mickelson reminded us that he earned lifetime membership of the PGA Tour and that he intends to keep it. He didn’t acknowledge how that lifetime member status already allows him to set his schedule, and has done since January of 2002, when he won his 20th title. He is not obligated to make a minimum number of starts on the PGA Tour, but he is so bound with the Saudi series.

This U.S. Open will illustrate why the Saudis paid Mickelson an exorbitant amount of money. It’s not for the competitive relevance of a 52-year-old. He’s at The Country Club as a Manchurian competitor.

By strolling the fairways giving thumbs-ups, a cheesy grin affixed like an identikit picture, and accepting the warm applause of galleries, Mickelson will further assimilate his actions, and signal to others who might be on the fence that pariah status isn’t assured outside the ropes. He serves other functions too. LIV Golf assured prospective recruits that they can play the series and major championships, so it’s vital that their stooges who are currently eligible for majors show up and reinforce that perception.

Mickelson has now cheapened two consecutive majors—the PGA Championship, by not defending his title and instead using it as a tease to build anticipation for his eventual return a few weeks later for the Saudis, and now the U.S. Open, reduced to a platform for normalizing sportswashers. For him, the majors are just collateral damage, something his Saudi benefactors are familiar with as a cost of doing business, whether launching a hostile takeover of golf or missiles at Yemeni civilians. Mickelson is also clearly establishing himself as the most likely plaintiff in whatever future legal action the Saudis finance over his suspension from the Tour or any potential sanction by the majors. His lifetime Tour membership and exempt status into all majors for several more years explains his value to MBS and his minions.

As the press conference wound down, Mickelson was asked if he’s at peace with perhaps never playing again on the PGA Tour. He sounded a touch sentimental. “I am very appreciative of the many memories, opportunities, experiences, friendships, relationships the PGA Tour has provided, and those are going to last — those will last a lifetime,” he said, with a wan smile.

In that, Mickelson was correct. Memories do last a lifetime. But then, stains do too.

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Like father, like son: Sean Jacklin to play U.S. Open 52 years after his father, Tony, claimed the title

Sean Jacklin is set to follow in his father’s footsteps and play in the 122nd U.S. Open.

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Less than 24 hours after his youngest son, Sean, had qualified for the U.S. Open on June 6, World Golf Hall of Famer Tony Jacklin was still buzzing.

“That was bloody nerve wracking,” the 77-year-old Englishman said from his home in Bradenton, Florida, where he followed his son’s progress in a USGA Sectional Qualifier online. “My wife and I were hole-by-holing it. Just kept hitting refresh.”

Sean shot 66-71—137, his 5-under total good enough to share co-medalist honors at The Club at Admiral’s Cove (North and West Courses) in Jupiter, Florida. His success one week ago was all the more remarkable considering he was first alternate (from local qualifying at Sara Bay Country Club) and didn’t get into the field until 20 minutes before his eventual tee time.

“He went over there on a wing and a prayer,” Tony said. “He nearly didn’t bother to drive over. He had a good friend in Palm Beach to stay with and didn’t have to fork out for a hotel. He hung around the putting green.”

Sean, 30, who is named after his father’s good friend, the late actor Sean Connery, will be making just his second PGA Tour start and first at any of the four majors at the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, a mere 52 years after his old man won the title at Hazeltine near Minneapolis.

“It was the best week of my career,” Tony said of his victory in 1970, his second major championship. “There was a lot of pressure. I shot under par the first day in horrendous conditions (an opening-round 71 in 40 mph winds) and built the lead each day. I putted beautifully thanks to a tip from Jim Yancey, (tour pro) Bert’s older brother and a club pro, to look at the hole in practice. It gave me a wonderful sense of distance control and I was able to take it on to the golf course. It was the best I ever putted.”

But Tony missed short putts at Nos. 7 and 8 during the final round and fear of failure crept into his mind.

“I said to myself, ‘Oh God, not now,’ ” Jacklin recalled. “I suppose you could say I was frightened of screwing up. It would have stayed with me my whole life. I managed to stay focused.”

The turning point? His birdie putt at the ninth hit the back of the cup and went in.

“That relaxed me,” Jacklin said.

Jacklin became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to hold both the British Open (1969) and U.S. Open trophies concurrently. He led from start to finish and was the only player to break par for the tournament, finishing a whopping seven shots ahead of Dave Hill, the largest margin in 49 years. Jacklin also became the first golfer born in Europe to win the U.S. Open since Scottish-born Tommy Armour in 1927.

Son of a Ryder Cup legend

Sean grew up with the pressure of being the son of a major champion and European Ryder Cup legend. He played his college golf at North Carolina and has had status at times on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, but has mostly been beating around the mini tours since turning pro.

“He’s not a kid anymore. He’s been trying to Monday in and play the mini tours. He’s won a bunch of West Florida events and plays in Orlando,” Tony said. “He’s got the game. It’s as much luck as anything. There are so many good players.”

This week at the U.S. Open presents a huge opportunity for Sean, and Tony said he won’t have to remind his son of that.

“A good week next week will give him a real boost,” Tony said. “But I won’t bother to give him some pep talk. He already knows every damn thing I know.”

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2022 U.S. Open tee times, TV info for Thursday’s first round at The Country Club

Check out some of the interesting groupings for the first two days.

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Welcome back to Brookline.

It’s U.S. Open week as the 122nd playing of the USGA’s flagship championship returns to The Country Club near Boston for the third time and first since 1988.

Defending champion Jon Rahm highlights a strong field for the third men’s major of the year that includes world No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, as well as PGA champion Justin Thomas and last week’s winner at the RBC Canadian Open, Rory McIlroy.

Also in the field are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na and others who participated in the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London. Last week the USGA announced that the LIV competitors would be eligible to play in the U.S. Open.

Featured groups worth watching include:

  • Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Max Homa (7:29 a.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris (8:02 a.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau (1:14 p.m. ET, No. 1)
  • Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele (7:40 a.m. ET, No. 10)
  • Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler (1:25 p.m. ET, No. 10)

Three-time champion Tiger Woods will not play this week, but has said he is aiming to compete at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for the first round of the 2022 U.S. Open. All times listed are Eastern.

Thursday tee times

1st hole

Tee time Players
6:45 a.m. (a) Michael Thorbjornsen, Erik Barnes, Matt McCarty
6:56 a.m. Matthew NeSmith, Patrick Rodgers, (a) Travis Vick
7:07 a.m. Troy Merritt, (a) William Mouw, Andrew Putnam
7:18 a.m Collin Morikawa, James Piot, Jon Rahm
7:29 a.m. Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Max Homa
7:40 a.m. Billy Horschel, Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger
7:51 a.m. Harold Varner III, Sebastián Muñoz, Alex Norén
8:02 a.m. Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris
8:13 a.m. Adam Schenk, (a) Stewart Hagestad, Grayson Murray
8:24 a.m. Guido Migliozzi, Branden Grace, Mackenzie Hughes
8:35 a.m. Beau Hossler, Kalle Samooja, Satoshi Kodaira
8:46 a.m. Richard Mansell, Tomoyasu Sugiyama, Roger Sloan
8:57 a.m. (a) Caleb Manuel, Keith Greene, Ben Silverman
12:30 p.m. Kevin Chappell, Chase Seiffert, Andrew Novak
12:41 p.m. Thorbjørn Olesen, Brian Stuard, Nick Hardy
12:52 p.m Sam Horsfield, Cameron Tringale, Shaun Norris
1:03 p.m. Sungjae Im, Mito Pereira, Erik van Rooyen
1:14 p.m. Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau
1:25 p.m. Joohyung Kim, Séamus Power, Min Woo Lee
1:36 p.m. Matt Fitzpatrick, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson
1:47 p.m. Phil Mickelson, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen
1:58 p.m. Danny Lee, (a) Keita Nakajima, Nick Taylor
2:09 p.m. Jim Furyk, (a) Nick Dunlap, Adam Hadwin
2:20 p.m. Richard Bland, Rikuya Hoshino, Ryan Fox
2:31 p.m. Jonas Blixt, Bo Hoag, Todd Sinnott
2:42 p.m. Isaiah Salinda, Sean Jacklin, (a) Charles Reiter

10th hole

Tee time Players
6:45 a.m. Fran Quinn, Callum Tarren, Hayden Buckley
6:56 a.m. Kurt Kitayama, Denny McCarthy, (a) Sam Bennett
7:07 a.m. Wyndham Clark, Brandon Matthews, Wil Besseling
7:18 a.m. David Lingmerth, Sepp Straka, Si Woo Kim
7:29 a.m. Scott Stallings, Davis Riley, Victor Perez
7:40 a.m. Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele
7:51 a.m. Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley, Brian Harman
8:02 a.m. Keegan Bradley, Marc Leishman, Aaron Wise
8:13 a.m. Francesco Molinari, (a) Laird Shepherd, Stewart Cink
8:24 a.m. Marcel Schneider, Chan Kim, Joseph Bramlett
8:35 a.m. Lanto Griffin, Joel Dahmen, Jinichiro Kozuma
8:46 a.m. Chris Gotterup, (a) Fred Biondi, Harry Hall
8:57 a.m. Chris Naegel, Andrew Beckler, Luke Gannon
12:30 p.m. Jed Morgan, Taylor Montgomery, Sean Crocker
12:41 p.m. (a) Maxwell Moldovan, Yannik Paul, M.J. Daffue
12:52 p.m. Talor Gooch, Adri Arnaus, Tom Hoge
1:03 p.m. Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton
1:14 p.m. Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer, Thomas Pieters
1:25 p.m. Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler
1:36 p.m. Luke List, (a) Austin Greaser, Corey Conners
1:47 p.m. Gary Woodland, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau
1:58 p.m. K.H. Lee, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed
2:09 p.m. Jason Kokrak, Harris English, Lucas Herbert
2:20 p.m. Sam Stevens, (a) Ben Lorenz, Davis Shore
2:31 p.m. Daijiro Izumida, (a) Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Sebastian Söderberg
2:42 p.m. Ryan Gerard, Brady Calkins, Jesse Mueller

How to watch

Thursday, June 16

TV

USA: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7 p.m.
NBC: 2-5 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 6:45-9:30 a.m., 7-8 p.m.
Featured groups: 7:25 a.m.-7 p.m.
Featured holes (Nos. 11-13): 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
U.S. Open Radio: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Full week’s schedule here.

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