There is a 19-year-old amateur who just went 1 under par his very first competitive round at a U.S. Open. At knee-knocking Oakmont, no less.
Ryan Stachler, of same age and identical Open inexperience, tips his SEC cap to Scottie Scheffler. “He’s a really good player,” Stachler said. “(That kind of score) is out there for sure.”
But, honestly, Stachler’s own opening statement was more of the kind you’d expect when introducing a mere teen to this kind of golfing sausage grinder. Wrapping up his rain-delayed first round Friday morning, Stachler, the Alpharetta lad who just finished his first year at South Carolina, came in with an 8 over 78 and a somewhat sheepish grin.
“I’m happy to be here, slightly disappointed. I hit it pretty well in the last two practice rounds I played. I was thinking I’d come out here and hit it well. Just a little off,” Stachler said.
There were a couple first-timers here with Alpharetta in their backgrounds — the other being Marist School grad Derek Chang, older by six years and moved on to Dallas, Texas, where he is trying to find himself as a professional. Both got in through sectional qualifying. And both had remarkably similar tales of trials and tribulations at Oakmont — the more typical account of the U.S. Open novice.
“That’s not what I’m capable of doing; it’s disappointing to shoot that kind of score. I know it’s tough and all that, but I’m capable of a lot better,” said Chang, who wrapped up a first-round 80 on Friday.
Their experience was alike right down to the same anecdote when asked separately to point to the one shot that was their welcome-to-Oakmont moment. Both had hit it just long to the green of the par-4 second hole, where there awaited a deep, narrow bunker. The pin was so tight that it was almost in the sand. Stachler left his first escape attempt short, on the bank of the bunker. Chang’s blast from the sand may still be rolling down the slick, pitched green.
“A few loose shots, and you’re going to pay for it on a course like this,” Chang said.
“They add up and you hop on a train going the wrong way,” he said.
Dodging rain and lightning all day Thursday, neither had what you may call an ideal first brush with the U.S. Open. But it probably could be described as somewhat expected.
“I think making the cut is still in play,” Stachler said defiantly.
There were some encouraging angles for the two of them to take, as well.
Both will play into the weekend of the U.S. Open even if they don’t make the cut — a high likelihood. Because of Thursday’s rain delay, they won’t even start their second round until Saturday.
And their opening rounds on this tough track weren’t all that much worse than a couple of far more seasoned sorts, like, say, world’s No. 1 Jason Day (76) and No. 3 Rory McIlroy (77).
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