SOUTHAMPTON, NY – James Nicholas started his US Open a day here on the sandy, windswept South Fork as Jones, Hogan and Nicklaus began theirs.
Sliding into Meta cups.
At 3:55 in the morning
“I have a YouTube channel,” said Nicholas, 29, a native of Scarsdale, NY, who has 33,000 subscribers on the video platform and another 163,000 followers on Instagram. “I’m trying to film some behind-the-scenes footage of what it’s like to play in the US Open. I put them on and talked to myself, talked to the fans and tried to share that with everyone else.”
Nicholas rose in front of the roosters due to his first US Open start at 126th Shinnecock Hills. At 4:25, he was in the shower. By 4:40, he was out the door. By 5, he was on the property and digging in a morning. By 5:20, he was warming up. And at 6:35, he was on the first team along with Taylor Montgomery and Caleb Surratt. Time to “get out,” Nicholas later said, “and that’s what I always say, no matter what round it is.”
And he did, posting a four-birdie 71 that, on a blustery, windy morning, briefly gave him the clubhouse lead.
Nicholas, who plies his trade on the Korn Ferry Tour through Foot with wings (where he played his junior golf) and Yale University (his college golf), is lucky to be here at all.
In the second of his two rounds in the final US Open qualifier earlier this month, Nicholas was in a bad state on the 5th hole after he had blocked not one but two tee shots into the bushes to the right of the fairway. The first ball was a goner, and the second appeared to be, too—that was until a friend of Nicholas’, who was walking the small gallery, noticed a homer emblazoned with an American flag deep in the foliage. This allowed Nicholas to take a layup instead of re-teeing and almost certainly saved him at least one stroke. That shot proved profoundly important because, at the end of the round, Nicholas’ 140 total (68-72) landed him fourth out of the four qualifying spots. He had punched his ticket to a second consecutive US Open.
Nicholas is a world-class golfer, and an equally exceptional sharer, engager and poster. He takes his social flock with him almost everywhere he goes: the course, the range, the gym, the locker room, the honeymoon. In February, after winning his first title at Korn Ferry, Nicholas took to Instagram to share his P&L for the week: $1,050 for flights, $42.98 for a massage, an $18,000 expense for his caddy’s bonus, and more. This video has been viewed 2.7 million times.
Nicholas’ early morning shoot, with the help of Meta from Shinnecock, is sure to get some footage as well. Her power? “I’m playing Round 1 of the US Open,” Nicholas said. “Let’s go have a great day. I got to do this. I got to do all the wild travel to be here. I got to come out here and play in really tough conditions. I get to play one of the best golf courses in the world. Instead of saying, I got to do it, and put that perspective. Then I look my family in the face, walking in the United States, as we’re walking in the United States. Open.”
Well, he was for two holes, anyway, at which point play was suspended by a cloud of fog enveloping the course. When the horn sounded, Nicholas went to the range, thinking that the break would be quick. But 15 minutes turned into 30, and 30 turned into … well, it was hard to know. Wanting to save energy, Nikola retreated to the club to spend time with his wife, mother and some friends. “It’s the US Open, but you just have to relax and hang out,” he said. The game finally resumed at 9:05.
You couldn’t blame Nicholas if he felt overwhelmed by the moment. But he didn’t, he said, instead choosing to embrace the majesty of the stage with a not-to-be-missed attitude. “When you get on Korn Ferry and play week in and week out there, sometimes you doubt yourself,” he said. “But here you’re almost like, ‘Let’s just send it and see what happens.’ You put less pressure on yourself, you stress less.”
This approach worked for Nicholas a year ago in the beast Oakmontwhere he opened with a 69 to grab a share of 6th place. But flying too close to the sun, he said, got into his head. “(In) Round 2 I struggled because I put all that pressure on myself and you have expectations.” He signed for a 78, then played the weekend in 75-77 to finish T61.
Enter Nicholas’ mental coach, Joe Perron, who schooled Nicholas on the fear of failure. “It’s something I struggle with,” Nicholas said. “It’s like I want to do really well. Once you put yourself in position, you get scared, you have this fear of failure.”
On Thursday, Nicholas showed no such fear, rocking two doubles to stay in the hunt. Another test awaits him on Friday and, if he passes it, he will face an even bigger test this weekend. Maybe you’ll spot Nicholas on NBC. If not, try YouTube.
