PURCHASE, NY – James Nicholas, the former Yale biology major who chose Q School over medical school, has played all over the world in his 29 years, including in Kenya and Qatar, across Europe and South America. But on Monday, he played in his childhood yard, so to speak. He grew up in nearby Scarsdale, had breakfast at his childhood home on Monday and then made the short drive to the Golf Club of Purchase for his first tee. One-day 36-hole qualifier for US Open – National Open, at Shinnecock Hills.
Nicholas – with his wife, America, caddying for him – shot a morning 68. Seventy-nine players for four shots. So far, so good. Husband and wife made the five-minute drive to Century Country Club, a Gilded Age gem. The purchase is an exhibition of the Golden Bear (Jack Nicklaus). modern.
Nicholas made four straight pars to start the Century. On 5, a 460-yard par-4 where you can’t miss fairways. Nicholas has played in 13 Korn Ferry events this year and made six cuts, but not the last two. That was then, this is now. although now in golf it is always, to some extent, shaped by everything that has come before it.
He entered with driver in hand. America, a psychology major and an undergraduate dancer at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., held her husband’s carry-on bag in the locked and upright position. You may have known the couple since high school. they share their lives in the back roads of golf on social media somehow few golf couples, if any, do this. Shrimp and an orzo salad for a last supper and the rest. You want a healthy, disciplined life, find James and America on all your favorite platforms.
In the 5th, Nikola drove it wildly to the right. His Titleist ball went into deep bush that was not intended for man or ball. His putt was worse, 20 yards to the right of the first and completely gone. If you and I were playing, playing for fun, then we’re done there, right? Your hole – just put me down for 7. But, of course, you can’t do that in a US Open qualifier.
Young James Nicholas, who played in the US Open last year at Oakmont (played the fourth round with Brian Harman – what fun that?), he was looking a bit stressed. His mother and brother and the caddy, likewise. A dozen or more spectators with a root interest, ibid. (His former college coach, Colin Sheehan, was following the action on his laptop while on a family vacation in Athens. How’s this all Yalie?) Finally, Nicholas’ second tee shot — his third from the 5th tee — was just down Broadway. A bogey on his third ball meant an 8 on the hole. Hard to recover from that.
One of the spectators ran onto 5th Street. You only have three minutes to search for a foul ball, but the clock doesn’t start until the player arrives at the crime scene. A marshal was out there in the land of the lost with only a vague idea of ​​where the first ball went. The running spectator – okay, he was running, the man is 58 and not on an orzo salad diet – was no ordinary spectator. There was Phil Mintz, a comically profane former Duke tennis player, retired partner at Apollo Global Management and, notably in this context, a four-time club champion at Century, who has played golf with Nicholas since Nicholas was at Scarsdale High. A local high school golf coach, Mark Canno, was right behind Mintz. Both are Nich-o-philes. “Not only one of the best players I’ve ever seen here, but the best kid,” Canno will tell you. Mintz means the same thing. He had taken Nicholas out for a practice round just a few days ago.
Nicholas grew up playing at Westchester Country Club and Foot with wings. So yeah, high cotton, New York style. Mintz describes the Century as “legs with Jewish wings.” Totally different and one of the same, if you know what I mean, and you might not. Century gets a handful of new members a year, if that.
You could write a book about upper crust golf in Westchester County. In all of golf, in all of the United States, there is nothing like it, the sheer wealth, the beauty of the courses, the tribal affiliations, the timelessness of it all. Before Monday, I hadn’t been to Century in 40 years, since I went through the 36-hole qualifier on the eve of the 1986 US Open, also at Shinnecock Hills. The whole place looked unchanged, except that there was a new men’s room with a stall outside the clubhouse, convenient if you’re making the turn, with a black and white photo of Ben Hogan next on one wall and a color of the local boy. Cameron Youngdoing the same thing, in another.
Come back on the 5th, Monday noon. Phil Mintz couldn’t believe how thick the vegetation was. No one hits him where Nicholas hit him, except 100 right shooters from forward posts with wicked slices. Mintz was pushing plant life with two arms and two legs, a desperate needle-in-a-haystack quest, with the clock ticking. Where’s MacGyver when you need him? But even Angus MacGyver, wielding his Swiss army knife like a machete in this jungle, would have foamed up in a state of panic. “That ball could have been anywhere,” Mintz said later. “It was hopeless.”
And then—wonder of wonders, wonder of wonders—a vision flashed before Mintz’s eyes: a shiny white golf ball, clearly a new arrival.
Mintz returned. Nicholas was now nearby. “You have an American flag on it, don’t you?”
how do you pronounce relief?
MINTZ.
Nicholas almost laughed at his good fortune.
He made an unplayable lie – there was absolutely no chance of getting it from where he was – hit an indifferent third shot (after the penalty shot), hit it beautifully from eight yards short of the green and made a short putt for a 5. That bogey meant the difference between Shinnecock making it and not.
“And now we’re in the Hamptons,” America said when the longest day of golf was over. She looked excited and not at all exhausted. Neither did her husband. These are capable people in every way. On more than a few occasions Monday, she gave her husband a pep talk before he played a shot: “Commit.” This week, Nicholas will be playing at Korn Ferry Station in Amarillo, Texas – with his regular caddy, not America, in his bag.
From there to Southampton on the back of Nicholas’ morning 68 and afternoon 72. His 140 was good enough to secure one of the four places. One more shot would have potentially been a lot – there would have been a playoff with veteran Australian player Matt Jones. Ben James, who grew up in Milford, Conn., also shot a 140. The medalist was Kevin Roy, who grew up in upstate New York, and shot a 134. Tour player Max Greyserman, of Short Hills, N.J., finished second, two shots behind Roy. Four qualifiers from the northeast, playing in his heart.
“I played well in the morning,” Greyserman said. “But this afternoon I was driving it everywhere, and these greens are as fast and hard as anything we see on Tour. It was stressful.” It should have been. Trying to qualify for your national championship is stressful. Greyserman’s parents immigrated to the United States from Ukraine as teenagers. What are the odds? What are the odds of this guy playing in his third straight US Open?
P. Mintz received a message late Monday evening from J. Nicholas.
I owe you.
“He’s a great kid,” Mintz said. “He doesn’t owe me.”
Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com
