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Two questions bring back my memories of this week in June 32 years ago: the first is “have you ever played in the U.S. Open, and the second is “have you ever played Merion?” The answer to both is “yes”, and I am always happy to inform the asker that I played in the U.S. Open at Merion back in 1981. As it turned out it would be the only Open I would qualify for (I was local qualifying medalist 5 times and missed playing in 2 more Opens in qualifying playoffs at the course at which I now work), but at least I got one in there and can always say that yes, I played in the Open.
The way I got into the Open that year was interesting in itself. I shot the number in the local qualifier and got myself into a playoff, and since we were playing two different courses I had to traverse D.C. traffic at 5:30 to barely make it to the first tee on time to fight 5 other guys for 3 spots. It was nearly dark, and my par on the first hole was good enough to get me in to the sectional, which was to be held at the Army Navy club in Arlington, Virginia, a shortish, tight track that played right into my wheelhouse. The course played tough and my rounds of 69 and 71 were good enough for me to be low qualifier.
If we go back a bit further the fact that I was even playing in the qualifier was a good story. I was 23 years old and a full year out of college at the time. My junior year of college (at LSU) was off the charts as I won 3 tournaments and finished 3rd in the NCAA Championship. My senior year was a disaster, however, as I became the Ian Baker Finch of college golf, devolving from one of the best players in the country to not being able to break an egg. I quit playing altogether when I graduated, and tried to get a job doing something besides golf. That didn’t work out and I ended up getting a job at local golf store, where I picked up Hogan’s Five Lessons and started back to hitting balls in the simulator they had installed in the back. I started playing competitively again, and I won the D.C. Amateur and entered the Open qualifier, which I promptly won.
So come Sunday the week of the Open I get into my little blue Fiat Spider and drive up meet the family I’m going to stay with. I meet them at Merion, and then they invite me to dinner at their own country club just down the road. I follow them to the club, they turn in to park, and as I am waiting to turn as well a car comes up from behind and rams into the back of my car at full speed ahead as if I weren’t even there. My car is spun around to where it’s facing backwards in the opposite lane, and I am tossed into the passenger seat well with a large lump on my head. I woke up in the hospital where they kept me for a few hours before discharging me, and the next day I was out at Merion for my first practice round. I played 6 holes with Scott Hoch and Tom Kite before my splitting headache made me quit for the day, but after that the accident was never an issue. I suppose I could have had a concussion, but I played on nevertheless and didn’t feel any worse for wear.
The course was awesome, at just over 6500 yards an incredibly tough test, and my rounds of 75 and 75 only missed the cut by 3 shots. I played with a pro named Jeff Hewes, and another young pro named Larry Mize, a name you might be familiar with. He was an assistant at the time at Augusta National (I think that’s correct, but I might be wrong), and missed the cut with just about the same score as I did. I remember that I played fairly well but didn’t really putt well enough to score well, and left feeling that I could compete at this level with the best players.
It will be fun watching the Open this week. I have played it a couple of times in the years since then, once in 2002 and again last year, and it is really all you can handle. It’s too bad that the rains have softened the course so much as the scores will more than likely be low, but in 83 it was firm and fast and only the winner (David Graham) and one other player were under par. Still, the memories are fresh and I will always relish the experience.
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