Newton grad swings in U.S. Open

By Nathan Mayberg
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA — Pat Wilson just beat Tiger Woods in a game of golf.

While there are more golfers these days who can say that, the 2009 Newton High School graduate just did it at the U.S. Open, one of the most prestigious golfing events in the world.

The 24-year-old professional golfer missed the cut this past weekend at Chambers Bay Golf Course in Washington, but managed to beat eight other golfers, including Woods, in this first PGA Tour event.

Like most of the other golfers at this past week's U.S. Open, the greens were largely unkind to Wilson at the unorthodox linx course made out of a former gravel mining pit.

Just making the U.S. Open is an achievement reserved for only the best golfers.

Wilson got to enjoy the experience with his 21-year-old brother Cory, who was his caddy. Cory plays on the Seton Hall golf team. His other brother Tyler plays for the Newton High School golf team.

Last Thursday and Friday, Wilson could count himself among the best 157 golfers in the world after he qualified for the tournament after finishing tied for the top three spots at the sectional qualifying tournament in Purchase, New York a week earlier.

At the U.S. Open, Wilson proved he could play with the best. His shots landed on the fairways in 71 percent of his opportunities. The average rate for the tournament was 73 percent.

In the first round, Wilson's average driving distance was 304 yards, which was the average yardage for the round. In the second round, his average yardage went down 18 yards.

Wilson's putting improved from the first round when he averaged 2.17 putts per hole to the second round when his 1.83 putts per hole put him right at the 1.81 average for the round.

Wilson made five birdies in the two rounds, though he was hurt by missing par on too many occasions.

He shot a 79 in his first round and a 76 in his second. His 76 was better than 21 other golfers including PGA standout Bubba Watson. He finished 12 strokes off the cut.

"I had some moments of brilliance. I didn't have enough of it," Wilson said.

"The greens were tough the last week," Wilson said.

Wilson said the course was "a little too extreme for me."

The setup could have been a little more fair, he said.

The greens were dead, he said.

Throughout the tournament, shots were taking off all over the place as they landed.

"It was an unbelievable experience. It's a lifelong dream," he said.

Wilson was grouped with 15-year-old phenom Cole Hammer, who could be emerging as one of the game's future great golfers.

Wilson finished six strokes ahead of Hammer but was impressed with his compusure, which he described as "unbelievable,"

Last year, Wilson played on the PGA Canadian Tour and PGA Latin American Tour.

Richard Lepes, his former golf coach at Newton High School, called Wilson "one of the best golfers to ever come out of my program."

But Lepes cut Wilson from the varsity squad his freshman year, when he didn't think he was ready.

Lepes said Wilson told him it was the best thing he did because it only motivated him.

After playing on the junior varsity team as a freshman, Wilson became a caddy at Panther Valley Golf and Country Club in Allamuchy,

Lepes, a retired teacher at the Newton School District, believes that Wilson became "more focused" after being cut.

"He always wanted to do better," Lepes said.

Wilson also wasn't easily discouraged. "If he hit a bad shot, he dismissed it," Lepes said.

In his sophomore year, he qualified for state sectionals and went to the tournament of champions but he tore his meniscus though he played through it. In his junior and senior year, he won the state sectional tournament.

Lepes watched Wilson play on television. "He was spectacular," he said.

Getting to the U.S. Open was all the more remarkable for Wilson.

He overcame a herniated disk in his back that he suffered over the winter while playing basketball. Back in November, "I could barely walk," he said.

Wilson has been playing golf since he was a toddler.

While he only played a few times a year as a kid, his play picked up after he became a caddy and his family joined the Panther Valley Golf and Country Club.

Playing golf was "all I did" after that, Wilson said.

"That's always what I wanted to do," he said.

Wilson said he knew he wanted to play golf professionally from the time he was five and playing with his dad Richard, who works in the insurance business.

Wilson delivered quite the Father's Day gift to his father by getting to the U.S. Open.

On Sunday, the entire family, including Wilson's mother Diane, stood together on the 18th hole, watching the amazing finale as Johnson nearly won the tournament and nearly forced an 18-hole playoff before missing a put that gave Spieth the win.

They stood next to Johnson's family, which includes NHL legend Wayne Gretzky — Johnson's father-in-law.

Wilson said the crowd was in shock. "It was a really short put." The puts were "really tricky to read," he said.

Wilson is considering his next move now, which could be a return to the Canadian tour.

"I've been playing a lot of good golf lately," he said.

Growing up, Wilson admired Tiger Woods as he dominated the competition.

On Thursday, Wilson finished ahead of him by one stroke though it was "not in the fashion I hoped to beat him in," he said.

Lepes thinks we will be seeing more of Wilson.

"He believes he can now play with these guys," Lepes said.