A Little Bit More
Household names they are not: Here's a little bit more on some players who made the cut at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
A Little Bit More
They may not be household names, but these 10 players bring a unique story
Richard Bland: The ultimate grinder. He turned pro 25 years ago and has been to Q-school numerous times seesawing between the European and Challenge tours throughout his career. In 2019, Bland went back to the Challenge Tour, finished third in the Order of Merit and earned his European Tour card back. Finally, at age 48, in his 478th career European Tour start at the 2021 British Masters, Bland broke through and became the oldest first-time winner on the European Tour. After his win he was interviewed by commentator Tim Barter, who has been Bland's coach for over 20 years. It was one of my favorite moments of the golf season. You can watch it here.
Richard Bland finds himself in the mix at the U.S. Open
Guido Migliozzi- Turned pro when he was 19 and played mostly on the Alps Tour where he won three events. Guido has also played some Challenge Tour events before getting his European Tour card via Q-school for the 2019 season. In 2019 he won twice on the Euro Tour and this year has three runner-up finishes. He lost to Richard Bland in a playoff for the British Masters with a three putt. He is currently ranked 103rd in the world and has developed a bit of a cult following on Twitter, including @skyhookDFS who will be all over Guido this weekend.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout- One of the better stories in golf. When he was 2 years-old he accidentally drank some rat poison and almost died. Some of the ongoing effects included a stutter and anxiety. To deal with these issues, he took beta blockers- a banned substance- and ended up getting suspended. Christiaan has struggled with depression in part because of his stutter, and yet, despite all of these hurdles, he has won three times on the European Tour winner and contended in multiple majors. He's currently ranked 46th in the world.
Rikuya Hoshino- Another early bloomer, Rikuya turned pro at the age of 19 in 2016 and has five career Japan Tour wins. He's won twice in Japan this year and is currently leading the Japan Tour Order of Merit. This is his third start in a major and second in the U.S. Open. He also played in this years PGA Championship where he missed the cut. He is currently ranked 78th in the world. As my faithful readers know, I am required to disclose that he is blood type O.
Dylan Wu- Made the cut and is currently T21 in his first PGA Tour start. Dylan had a decorated career at Northwestern and sits 28th in Korn Ferry Points after making 20 of 35 cuts so far in this extended season. It almost didn't happen. Dylan had conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 and got the call he made the field for the Nebraska KFT event while he was driving to another mini-tour event. He went to Nebraska, finished T2 and gained status for the rest of the 2019 season. Dylan came out of the gates hot starting the 2020-21 extended season with a T2 and followed it up with six consecutive made cuts.
Kyle Westmoreland- Kyle is the first Air Force Academy graduate to play in a major. Before turning pro, he spent five years working in the Air Force's finance department. During those five years he was deployed to many countries but would always try to find a way to practice. In Spain he was only allowed to rent one club at a time, so he would do 8-iron one day, 7-iron the next day, etc. When he was stationed in the States he would practice at night after his work was done. He qualified for his first professional event through a Korn Ferry Monday Qualifier.
Greyson Sigg- One of the most consistent players in pro golf who is not on the PGA Tour. Greyson Sigg is having an amazing season on the Korn Ferry Tour with 24 of 29 made cuts and a win. He also has a top-10 this season on the PGA Tour at the Corales Championshp. In the three seasons prior to gaining Korn Ferry status, he played on the Mackenzie Tour and made a combined 30 of 36 cuts with 20 top-25s. His caddie Colton Heisey is also on a hot streak. He was on the bag for Michael Gellerman's Korn Ferry win and was with Doc Redman when he finished 2nd at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage. Heisey has continued the great run with Greyson and they look ready to compete going into this weekend.
Greyson Sigg looks to make his mark at the U.S. Open
Rick Lamb- His interview after sectional qualifying is why I love the U.S. Open. Lamb has been a professional for seven years and this is his first major. The emotion he showed in the interview gave great insight to just how important majors are to these players. Rick is the last player to win an event on the Korn Ferry Tour after Monday qualifying, doing so at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in 2016. He is currently 111th in Korn Ferry points, so this made cut could be a huge boost of much needed confidence. Rick also has a twin brother that played professionally for a few years.
Taylor Montgomery- Taylor is currently 24th in points on the Korn Ferry Tour. He made four consecutive cuts on KFT prior to making the cut this week at the U.S. Open. He has two runner-up finishes this season and won the 2020 Nevada State Open. He practices and plays out of Shadow Creek in Las Vegas where his dad is the General Manager.
Wade Ormsby- At age 41, this is his second major championship and the first time he's made the cut. A native of Australia, Ormsby came to the states to play at the University of Houston and has played all over the world. He has three Asian Tour wins, his last coming at the co-sanctioned Asian and Euro Tour Hong Kong Open.
Australian Wade Ormsby looking alive at Torrey
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