By Bob Harig for the Cayman Compass
OAKMONT, Pa. – That dateline typically elicits fear among golfers. That’s because the small town in Western Pennsylvania is home to one of the fiercest, most demanding golf courses in the world.
Not that it has Justin Hastings feeling any dread. The Cayman Islands golfer continues to live the dream, getting a shot at another major championship, the reward for winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January.
The 125th US Open begins on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club, host of the championship for a record 10th time dating to 1927. It was where the likes of Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller and Ernie Els and Dustin Johnson have won the coveted hardware.
Hastings has an afternoon tee time with England’s Laurie Canter and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson. The tournament is screened live on NBC, USA Network, GOLF Channel and Peacock.
“I’m obviously so grateful,” Hastings said between shots during an Oakmont practice round. “What I’ve been doing the last little while. And I try not to take any of this for granted. I mean playing the Masters and kind of getting that first one under your belt definitely has made me feel a lot more comfortable out here.
“I feel like I’m more comfortable than I’ve been in the past out here. Hopefully it continues to feel like that.”
Since missing the cut at the Masters in April, Hastings has kept busy. He had his college career to finish at San Diego State, from which he recently graduated.
Along the way he won the Mountain West Conference individual championship and was named the conference’s golfer of the year.
Highest average score at university
He completed his collegiate career with the best scoring average in San Diego State history, scoring 71.17 over 129 rounds and bettering the previous mark of 71.50 held by Xander Schauffele, who played at the school from 2012-2015 and won two major championships last year.
He also had a two-week visit back on Grand Cayman where he worked on his game before heading back to the States.
Hastings played two practice rounds at Oakmont last week before heading to the Arnold Palmer Cup, an amateur competition pitting a team of international players against a US squad that was contested at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina.
Led by Hastings, who went 4-0 in his matches, the International side defeated the Americans 35-25 in the competition named after the late Palmer, who famously was from this area in Latrobe, Pennsylvania — and lost in an 18-hole playoff at the 1962 US Open to Nicklaus. That was the first professional victory for the Golden Bear and the first of his 18 major titles.
Hastings might not be aware of all that history but he certainly got a taste of what makes Oakmont so stout.
Mental preparation
“You definitely see what everyone talks about,” Hastings said. “It’s as hard as they make it out to be. I mean, I always tell myself that I like stuff like that because, I mean, we’ve heard a lot of guys say it this week … but that means a certain percentage of the field is already going to be incapable of doing very well. It’s mental.
“So I think the harder the golf course is, the more mental side kind of comes into it. And I think if you can understand that and use it to your advantage, then you’ll have an edge on the field. So I’m going to try and do the best I can at that this week and hopeful enough good golf for the rest.”
Hastings has been trying to balance the fine line of preparing for such a big tournament and all that comes with it while conserving energy and being properly prepared mentally.
Oakmont is an immense physical and mental test, and the temperatures will be warm and humid. Throw in the long practice rounds, which are typically slow at a US Open, and it’s a lot to take in.
But it’s all part of the experience.
In addition to the starts at the Masters and US Open, Hastings will also get to play in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, one of the world’s amazing courses, in Northern Ireland. He has experience there and with links golf from having competed on the course several years ago as part of the British Boys event.
All of it is part of a learning opportunity made possible by that Latin America Amateur Championship win.
After the US Open, Hastings said he is headed to Canada next week to take in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals — provided the series between Edmonton and Florida goes that far — before returning home to Grand Cayman.
Then it’ll be time to get ready for the Open Championship, where he will play his last amateur event.
Hastings said he will turn professional once the Open is complete.
From there, it is on to the PGA Tour Americas, a developmental circuit for which he has status through PGA Tour U and his play in collegiate golf. The tour plays the rest of its schedule throughout Canada.
His first play-for-pay tournament will be the Ottawa Open in late January.
