Full-time dentist, part-time amateur Matt Vogt's US Open homecoming ends with a kick in the teeth

Hindustan Times

a day ago

OAKMONT, Pa. — Matt Vogt's dream-like week heading up to his somewhat unlikely journey to the U.S. Open at a course he once caddied at ended with what felt, perhaps fittingly, like a trip to the dentist's office.
The 34-year-old amateur — a Pittsburgh-area native who has a dental practice in the Indianapolis suburbs — had the honors early Thursday morning, taking the opening shot of the national championship's 10th visit to Oakmont.
Vogt knew full well the danger of going right. Wanting to avoid putting the ball along Hulton Road, he instead pulled it left. Way left. His 337-yard blast ended up on the edge of the adjoining ninth fairway. He somehow managed to save par, which ended up being one of the few bright spots on a day in which he shot 12-over 82.
'You just can't make physical and mental errors, you can like get away sometimes with one or the other, but you can't get away with both,' he said. 'And you just get behind the eight ball out here and honestly, your head starts spinning. That's honestly what it feels like. Your head starts spinning out here and it just gets away from you.'
While Vogt who grew up about 30 minutes northwest of Oakmont, tried to tell himself he had 'zero expectations" after going through qualifying to make the 156-man field.
Still, he was hoping to do a little better at the sprawling, links-like course than he did here at the 2021 U.S. Amateur, when he also shot in the 80s. Instead, he spent some time on the practice range Thursday afternoon, searching for something — anything really — to build on.
'I came into such optimism for this golf course, but it is so hard,' he said. 'It's just so, so hard. I'd say, in the moment, you feel like you get punched in the face, you know?'
Mason Howell not only is the youngest player in the field, he got to Oakmont with the lowest scores. The 17-year-old from Georgia had a 64 in local qualifying, and then rounds of 63-63 at Piedmont Driving Club to lead the five players out of Atlanta.
The U.S. Open was different. Howell didn't make a birdie on his way to a 7-over 77.
He was asked to compare the nerves of contending for a state high school title and playing Oakmont before a sellout.
'It's definitely way more here, like 10 times the people ... way more than that, actually,' Howell said. 'But high school golf and major championships are just a little bit different.'
The closest Howell came to making birdie was on No. 1, his 10th hole of the day. He missed a putt just inside 10 feet.
Still, it was an experience he wouldn't trade.
'It's definitely special off the first tee,' he said. 'First tee of a major, you're always juiced up and amped up. I was just ready to get started all week. Now I just don't want it to end.'
Shane Lowry had to smile a bit after holing out from 160 yards for an eagle on the par-4 third at Oakmont. That wasn't nearly enough to salvage a brutal first round for the Irishman.
Lowry shot a 9-over 79, which included five bogeys, three double bogeys — and that history-making shot on No. 3. His eagle two was the first in U.S. Open history on that hole at Oakmont.
Lowry started on No. 10, so by the time he reached No. 3, he was already 6 over on the day.
Even the pars on Lowry's scorecard weren't necessarily routine. On No. 17, his tee shot went into the rough next to the green. His second shot didn't make it out of the rough. His third rolled across the green to the fringe on the other side.
Then he chipped in from there.
Tony Finau's best par of the day looked more like pinball than golf.
His second shot on the par-4 18th hole clanked off a sprinkler head at the back of the green, then into the grandstand, where it nearly hit a spectator, who reached down to pick it up before thinking better of that.
Finau got a drop in front of the grandstand, then hit a towering flop shot that still rolled 41 feet away from the back hole location. But he made it to save par a rare highlight on a day when he shot 6-over 76.
Thriston Lawrence gets around a lot. Maybe that's why it didn't take him long to get comfortable during his first trip to Oakmont.
The South African, who put together a 3-under 67 to find himself one shot back of early leader J.J. Spaun, doesn't currently have a 'home base.' Lawrence is in his first full season on the PGA Tour — where he's made just 2 of 11 cuts — but returned to the DP World Tour to play a couple of events ahead of the U.S. Open.
The lifestyle isn't new to the 28-year-old, who remembers playing upwards of 30 events a year when he was in elementary school.
Asked if he gets homesick, he shrugged.
'I mean, it's not nice,' he said. 'I would love to be home.'
That's not in the cards at the moment. Sometimes he crashes in Florida at DP World Tour member Thomas Aiken's house. Sometimes he just logs into Airbnb to see what's available, something that helps him 'not get attached.'
'It would be nice to get something, but I'm not yet sure where that is for now," he said.
Golf Writer Doug Ferguson, National Writer Eddie Pell and Sports Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report.
golf: /hub/golf