U.S. Open is daunting for 16-year-old Hossler
After playing the longest nine holes of his life on Monday at Congressional, 16-year-old Beau Hossler was overwhelmed.
“I played the U.S. Amateur a couple of years ago at Southern Hills,” Hossler said. “It was like 7,200 yards, but the rough and greens were nothing like this.”
Hossler of Racho Santa Margarita, Calif., is the youngest player in the field this week. He was one of the youngest in the history of the Amateur when he qualified at 14 years, 5 months in 2009. Hossler was 5-foot-3 then, with a plus-1.6 handicap.
Two years, seven inches and two American Junior Golf Association titles later, he is better equipped to perform in a national championship. But the U.S. Open?
“I was honestly doing the qualifying just for fun,” Hossler said “I was interested in just getting to sectionals, play with some other good players, mini-tour pros and stuff. But I had a good 36 holes, so it’s really cool.”
Hossler shot a 4-under 138 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, Calif., to notch one of five qualifying slots. He said his goals for the year were to play in the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Junior Amateur. Instead he will have the most memorable experience of his junior golf career.
Hossler, who recently finished his sophomore year of high school and turned 16 in March, was an odd site on Monday playing alongside chain-smoking, two-time major champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina and 6-foot-2, 210-pound Andres Gonzalez, who sports a handlebar mustache and shoulder-length locks.
“It was cool to see how a major champion prepares for a big tournament,” Hossler said of Cabrera, winner of the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.).
Joining Hossler in the U.S. Open field is Patrick Cantlay. The two were high school rivals last year. Cantlay, now at UCLA, was named Division I player of the year this spring.
Neither has ever played a hole like No. 18, the 532-yard par 4 finisher.
“It’s quite a hole, I hit a good drive and still had 220 coming in. Hit a hybrid to 15 feet, missed the putt,” Hossler said. “It was brutal out there. If you miss the fairway, you’ve got no chance.”
