From U.S. Open Local Qualifying To The World Stage
BY DAVID SHEFTER, USGA
Every year, thousands of golfers file entries with the hope of qualifying for the U.S. Open Championship. Last year, PGA Tour rookie Andrew Landry embodied the spirit of the championship’s democratic nature. The Dripping Springs, Texas, native first advanced through local and sectional qualifying to earn a spot in the field at Oakmont Country Club, then earned a place in Sunday’s final pairing alongside 54-hole leader Shane Lowry. Landry began his week with a 66, the lowest opening-round score ever in a U.S. Open at Oakmont, and continued his stellar play the next two days before a final-round 78 resulted in a tie for 15th. The 29-year-old, who currently competes on the Web.com Tour, recently discussed his 2016 performance and his preparations to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
What did you take away from your U.S. Open experience?
Landry: To be honest with you, I took confidence. That’s probably the biggest thing I took from it. A 15th-place finish from a no-name guy, it’s a good finish. But it’s not something I wanted. I obviously wanted to win. I wanted to place as high as I could place.
By Monday, could you finally put the week into perspective?
Landry: I think we got home from Pennsylvania around midnight that Monday. I laid in bed at about 1 o’clock in the morning and told my wife, I almost won the U.S. Open. I was 18 holes away from changing my life.
How about performing like that in your first major championship?
Landry: Maybe as a spectator looking in, yeah, it’s a great week for this [unheralded] kid. But I played on the PGA Tour. I feel like I deserve to be playing in major championships and I deserve to be playing on the PGA Tour.
Although you lost your PGA Tour playing privileges last year, you did come out this season on the Web.com Tour and win the second event of 2017 in the Bahamas. How much did your performance at Oakmont contribute to that victory?
Landry: One hundred percent of that win came from the final round at Oakmont. I learned what not to do. I learned how to control my emotions and how to control my golf swing and how to control myself as an individual. I wanted to win a golf tournament where I knew I was in the lead and was in the final group. Just to know I could win [in that situation]. I was able to control myself and my golf swing, and that’s what I did.
