By Bob Harig for the Cayman Compass
OAKMONT, Pa. – The sun was setting early Thursday evening and most of the grandstands had cleared out. Those still watching along the 18th hole likely had no idea that the man surveying a difficult shot from the rough was the first ever from the Cayman Islands to play in the US Open.
Justin Hastings performed admirably in his first official round at Oakmont Country Club, perhaps the most daunting of all the championship venues in the United States. He was perhaps even dreaming of finishing among the top 10 performers on a tough first day.
But like many who have played in such demanding circumstances, Hastings couldn’t get past the treacherous par-4 18th hole, making a deflating double-bogey 6 to still shoot a respectable 73 in the first round of the tournament.
“No exaggeration, the worst lie I’ve ever seen in my life,” Hastings said after he hit his tee shot into the left rough, forcing him to actually play the shot backwards.
“So we just tried to find a way to get in the fairway. Did the best shot we could, and couldn’t hold the fairway, found rough on the other side. I played up the fairway and wasn’t able to get it up and down with a wedge. Easy way to make a 6.”
Hastings, 21, wasn’t going to let it ruin an otherwise excellent day.
The former San Diego State golfer, who recently graduated from college and plans to turn pro later this summer, made two front-nine birdies and two-back nine-bogeys through 15 holes. A bogey at the 16th dropped him over par for the first time all day. He had a 7-foot birdie putt at the 17th that he missed, then the troubles at the 18th.
But the 73 tied him with the No. 1-ranked player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, as well as defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. It was one better than Masters champion Rory McIlroy.
The score left him in a tie for 49th. The top 60 players and ties make the 36-hole cut after Friday’s second round.
Hastings, who qualified for the US Open via his Latin America Amateur Championship victory in Buenes Aires, Argentina in January, also qualified for the Masters — where he missed the cut — and next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
His Masters experience — plus a run of successful college and amateur golf of late — helped him feel much more prepared to play in another major championship.
“I’m going to draw on that tomorrow,” he said. “I did a lot of things well. It really is pretty much a one-stroke penalty when you miss the fairway. So just clean up the driver a little bit. I missed probably one or two more fairways than I should have, so I’ll get that taken care of.
“I didn’t hit it terrific but I wouldn’t say I was super opportunistic. I also wouldn’t say a lot out there. There was a lot of stuff.
“I was more comfortable than I thought I would be. I think I drew back to that Masters experience.”
After a 2:20pm tee time that he said he used to his advantage by sleeping in and watching some of the early coverage on TV, Hastings will be back at it early on Friday with an 8:35 (EDT) tee time with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who shot 69, and England’s Laurie Canter, who shot 72.
“It was about what I expected,” he said.
“You think it’s going to be super, super firm and it’s not quite there yet. I don’t want to give them any ideas, but you start to kind of see it towards the end of the day and how it gets firm as you go. I won’t dwell too hard on anything. I’ll get some sleep and be ready for it.”
Bob Harig is a senior golf writer for Sports Illustrated.
