Scottie Scheffler was on the 36th and final hole of the 2016 U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Powell, Ohio, when his approach shot landed in a bunker near the green. He had two shots to spare \u2014 one to use a sand wedge to lift the ball out of the bunker onto the green and then one to convert\u00a0the ensuing putt \u2014 to force a playoff and keep his U.S. Open hopes alive.<\/p>\n
Scheffler did just that, creating a six-man playoff the next morning when only five would advance. That night his sister, Callie, joked that she would be willing to risk her internship with WorldLink and caddie for him if he qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.<\/p>\n
The next morning she received a text from Scottie:\u00a0\u201cCan you get a week off from work?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nine days later, Scottie Scheffler, 19, an amateur from Dallas, is the clubhouse leader of the U.S. Open after finishing with a first-round score of 69 (1 under).<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt pretty good about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t really sunk in yet. I played pretty solid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only nine players completed the round due to three weather delays. When the course was cleared for the final time, only seven golfers had scores under par, led by Andrew Landry\u2019s 3 under through 17 holes.<\/p>\n
Scheffler, a junior at the University of Texas, finished with the lowest opening round score for an amateur in a U.S. Open at Oakmont and became only the third amateur to shoot a round in the 60s in any round of the U.S. Open at the fabled course.<\/p>\n
Scheffler\u2019s round started with a birdie on the 10th hole, and he followed that by making par on seven consecutive holes, including a 20-foot, par-saving putt on the 15th hole. He bogeyed back-to-back holes, Nos. 18 and No. 1, but he finished his afternoon under par with birdies on No. 4 and No. 7.<\/p>\n
Scheffler\u2019s parents, Scott and Diane, walked the course, following their children as Scottie\u2019s golf bag weighed on Callie\u2019s back and an ever-growing target formed on Scottie\u2019s. They watched their son go\u00a0up-and-down for birdie out of a greenside bunker on the 615-yard, par-5 fourth hole and later as he sank a 7-foot putt for birdie on the seventh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the best shot was on 7,\u201d Scott Scheffler said. \u201cThe iron he hit onto the green \u2026\u00a0he hit it to the fairway, but he hit it about 6 feet [from the hole] and he made the putt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lag putting was really good on the greens,\u201d Scottie Scheffler added. \u201cI made some good 7-, 8-footers that kind of helped me keep the round going toward the end, which was really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The overnight rain Wednesday, plus the additional downpours Thursday, forced the players to adjust their approach to Oakmont. The golfers spent the first half of the week playing short of the pins, Scheffler said, but the wetter, softer course conditions forced them to worry about the spin on their approach shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get on hole 11 today, second hole of the day, and I spin one back like 50 feet off the front of the green,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought I hit a pretty good shot, and all of a sudden, I\u2019m left with a really hard two-putt.\u201d<\/p>\n
For every adjustment Scheffler made, his sister was by his side. Callie Scheffler is a senior at Texas A&M, where she\u2019s pursuing a graduate degree in marketing and suits up for the Aggies women\u2019s golf team. She has caddied for Scottie in previous professional events so she\u2019s accustomed to her brother\u2019s game and the clubs in his bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows the drill,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cShe knows how to caddie out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the second rain delay, the Scheffler duo joined their parents for lunch, along with Scottie\u2019s college golf coach and his golf instructor, soaking in the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just sat around a table and kind of hung out,\u201d Callie Scheffler said. \u201cWe were with family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The youngest Scheffler sisters, Sarah and Molly, would have been there, too, but they are leaving for a mission trip Saturday to the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t even describe it right now, but I didn\u2019t really let the magnitude of what\u2019s going on kind of get to me,\u201d Scottie Scheffler said. \u201cThis is something I\u2019ve never experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Open is unlike any amateur tournament Scheffler has experienced or even the NCAA championship final, when his Longhorns finished second to Oregon just weeks ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got courtesy cards and security and a bunch of people around,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cIt\u2019s just something I\u2019m not used to, like how we\u2019re going to get to the course tomorrow is going to be a struggle because we\u2019ve got to dodge thousands of fans. That\u2019s something I\u2019ve got to figure out when I\u2019m done here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Callie Scheffler described her brother as a great competitor. Despite his age and PGA Tour inexperience, he\u2019s there to compete with everyone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s quite hit him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With the 18 holes, Scheffler will reap the rewards of beating the rain and almost the entire field Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome rest would be good tonight,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd honestly, I really wanted to watch the basketball game tonight. I wanted to get done so I could stay up late to watch that.\u201d<\/p>\n