This derails the U.S. Open Bid in 3-foot putter

The U.S. Open’s 36-hole final qualifier in Columbus, Ohio always attracts hopeful people. That’s because it takes place annually after the PGA Tour’s Memorial Championship, which takes place in Dublin, just 20 miles north. This year’s Fieldo was called on Monday at the Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, which included PGA Tour Luminaries like Eric Cole, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa and Cameron Young, all of whom made five five-fifth playoffs in five playoffs with a blessed coincidence; Pro Chase Johnson, 29, who earned his fifth playoff spot in David’s role, played golf at nearby Kent State University. For USGA qualifiers, this is as high as their arrival.

Playoffs may and may should Already included the sixth player: Jim Knous, a 35-year-old former PGA Tour pro from Hyundai Province, Colorado, now serves as Ping Fitter and Engineer in Scottsdale, Arizona. Knous is no stranger to the big stage. He graduated from Korn Ferry Tour in 2018 and won the 2019-20 PGA Tour card; at the first start of that season, on Safeway Open, he drove 69 seconds on the weekend, leading tenth. But the rest of the season is even harder – Bobsled – 8 missing layoffs in 17 games – Knous was relegated after finishing No. 166 in FedEx’s ranking.

Three years later, when he returned to the Tour, Nuss finished further in the FedEx level (189th). After two years of injury and two years of trying to return to the Promised Land, Knous believes Vagabond Life is not for him. He longs for stability and spends more time around his wife Heidi and their three children, and never adapts to the lonely lifestyle of the tour. Knous studied mechanical engineering at the Colorado Mining School, and his talent brought to Ping. He has always maintained his professional position, but has always focused his competitive energy in more places.

Jim Knous has dozens of Jim Knous trying to qualify for the U.S. Open every year: Travelers, Dreamers, just-held buddies, having enough games on any day is still dangerous. Most – in fact, almost all Among them – empty. Of the record 10,202 players, Oakmont, which entered locally qualified, had only 908 made it into one of the 13 final qualifiers. From that group, 16 In the local qualifiers, they played tickets to the Open, some of whom had to fight the main champions and multiple PGA Tour winners to get there.

This year marks Knous’s ninth game in qualifying; he is 8-0. Last month, he cruised the local qualifiers at the Estancia Club in Scottsdale, shooting 69 below 69 to grab one of four positions. When he arrived in Columbus a few days ago, he still felt good about his game. The fun things about golf, the less you are obsessed with mechanics, the better you will usually be, whether you are a 25 Handicap or a Plus-5. “Just a little out, just do whatever you want,” North said. “About this – I almost wonder if I’m performing better than I did when I was a professional professional,” he added: “I don’t have much thought, maybe it’s a good thing.”

However, it must be somewhere in the depression of North’s brain), a reality that he’s never played in public or any professional period. When he reaches his 13th hole of the day (Kincel’s 210 yard 4, 4), you certainly can’t accuse him of being ahead of himself, under 2 strokes.

North described his next swing, “a little 5 iron, a little soft breeze.” “In fact, we really can’t see the green, the holes are in. There’s a steep edge on the right and behind the pins. I hit a nice shot, it’s on the flag, but I just wondered it might be too much.”

Actually, this is Perfect club. He was shocked. Four below 13.

“That’s when I said, Oh, it’s my day. When something like that happens, it’s bound to happen. You make your mind a little bit like this. But yes, yes, I have to lock it back.”

***

North beats one There were even five holes and even 68 holes signed. Another round of such a round – heck, even a 70 shot would be enough – he would be tied to Oakmont. In the afternoon round, starting from the first hole, Knous’Sheen began to disappear. He took 3 bogey in the morning and dropped 38 on the day. Fatigue was catching up with him, his swing was abandoning him. Knous ate the clumsy electrolyte he could do.

But when he was in units of 11 and 13, he was back. Eric Van Rooyen, a fashion two-time PGA Tour champion, has played (he ended at 13), but by then it seems clear that six will enter and five will be doomed to play the playoffs.

After 14 bogeys throwing him back to four, Cuth said: “I kind of know what I need to do from there. I know I might need to play the last four games under at least one.”

He divided the 15th in the 15th and made a birdie up and down on the 5th of the par 16th hole. On the 17th hole of the 3rd, he missed the 18-foot birdie attempt from above the hole. At this point, Knous knows Exactly Things he needs to do: Birdie the 4 par-4 is closer to his first American start, getting a place in the playoffs, or – it’s better not to consider any other potential outcomes.

Elite players have an incredible trick to remember not only how much they scored on each hole, but also how much flights each shot, rolls of each putter, rough cuts, green grains, the intensity of the wind. So here we are going to put the floor in the glorious golfer of Colorado.

“Eighteen are tricky,” North began. “4- Just a big old tree on the right. I drew the ball, so it naturally didn’t look good. Actually, I thought it was perfect.

North left him about 3 feet.

“Now, I’m just sticking with that short putter routine. I read it, I read it, I’m solid, I put the left edge and I thought it would be good. I might be a small part of the harder than I want. Maybe that’s adrenaline, maybe nerves. Who knows?”

***

You may have derived Where to go. If Knous had putter down, it wouldn’t be a story. OK, will. But, it’s a completely different story – one of perseverance and perseverance, a lifelong dream came true. This story doesn’t have that happy ending. However, Knous’s description of his days is still riveted and enlightening, because without heartbreak there is no glory, without pain there is no joy. North knew this. The same goes for every other golfer who plays for trophys and salary. The upper rung of competitive golf can reward players in a spectacular way, but it is more common to kick them onto the teeth.

“I didn’t do it, I was shocked,” North continued. “I stay solid all day with these three to five feet players.”

When the knife’s ball slips into the hole, his body language speaks. He lifted the push shaft to the edge of the hat and leaned over. He lowered the push blade and patted it onto the green as if scolding against his surface. When North put his right hand on his waist, his eyes were still stuck to the ground. He couldn’t help but look up.

It’s a subtle conversation asking a group of genre golfers of Taurus how failed and disappointed it feels. Most of us know what it feels like to be a weekend cavalry level – at 18, he won twice as much as he lost $10 Nassau, broke the wedge, lost a partner-travel game-but missed a 3-foot guy with an open position online? That’s a different sting.

“I’m crushed right now,” North said. “It’s obviously hard to get into the playoffs with all these great players. But, of course, as a player, I’m think Enter the playoffs. ”

He continued: “I’m nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve had this situation. What I think is – I don’t want to say unfortunately, but the indirect thing is that I’m in the last group, and that’s what I meant a lot to me and the others in that playoffs, and for me, everyone is big on me. Things.”

North has been working part-time at the Golf Academy near his Scottsdale home. He advised his students how to manage their nerves. Get your daily activities, practice hard, and stick to it. “When the pressure comes, that’s all you can rely on,” he said.

Sometimes, the crutch breaks, and other times it lasts. When Knous chased his PGA Tour card in the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour final, he went into the last hole when he knew he needed to make par. After reaching a close distance of 50 feet, he lags behind the birds and tries to bury his attempt. “It was probably the putter that I felt the most pressure,” North said.

He said Columbus was there too.

“It’ll bother me for a while,” North said. “Hopefully overcome it as time goes by.”

***

North will tell you The morning after his Columbus qualifiers, the sun appeared. He himself returned to Phoenix City very early. By that afternoon, he was on Ping HQ’s desk.

By Wednesday, he had some time to deal with the surface of his gut. Start accepting and looking forward to it. When asked to describe the challenge of getting the open qualifying, North said it was rarer than qualifying for Monday’s PGA Tour, which he completed twice.

“It’s really hard,” he said. “I like trying to beat a bunch of tours or compete with them. But there’s no doubt that it’s hard. I feel like I have my A or A+ games all day, but it’s still short.”

Of course, North will try again. Because that’s what he did. During lunch breaks, you often find him on the practice green on Ping campus, swap pieces, and usually try to keep him playing keen. After all, his next entry into the U.S. Open qualifying session is only 11 months old.

“Maybe the 10th time will be charming,” he said.