Hunter Larson is going to the U.S. Open.
The United States Golf Association is providing Larson with accommodations and a car, and the assistant professional at Kohanaiki in Kailua-Kona earned passes for himself, a guest and a caddie at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
All Larson needs now to complete the dream is a tee time at the national championship (June 16-19), and that still could be coming.
The 2006 Kealakehe graduate played sparkling golf Monday in Northern California during a marathon 42-hole sectional qualifier at Lake Merced and The Olympic, but now he must play a waiting game. Larson missed a putt on No. 36 that he estimated at 3 to 4 feet that would have clinched a spot at the U.S. Open, and then he fell short in a three-way playoff that went six holes and ended just before nightfall.
“I definitely didn’t get much sleep that night,” Larson said, recalling his missed putt. “But I made a lot of putts and hit some great shots.
“I still have a decent shot to represent Hawaii.”
With six spots still remaining in the 156-player field, Larson received some clarity Wednesday from the USGA.
It’s the gentleman’s game, but Larson has cause to root against Gary Woodland, Ryan Palmer and Fabian Gomez at the FedEx St. Jude Classic this weekend in Tennessee, as well as Joost Luiten at the European Tour stop in Austria. Each golfer could secure an U.S. Open berth by finishing on the leaderboard and moving into the top 60 in the world rankings, according to The Associated Press.
Based on course difficulty ratings at the 12 sectionals, there are seven golfers ahead of Larson on the Oakmont alternate list, so to punch his ticket Larson needs the big names to strike out this weekend and have two golfers already in the field pull out.
A domino fell Tuesday when Tiger Woods withdrew, giving a spot to Thitiphu Chuayprakong, the first alternate from the Japan sectional.
Larson expects to find out whether he made the field Monday or Tuesday, but either way, he’s planning on making a quick turnaround.
“I’m going to Oakmont,” he said.
For one, the USGA provides the bells and whistles. Plus, he can take his father. Also, he worked too hard Monday not to go.
“They say (sectionals) is the longest day in golf, and I can tell you that it is,” said Larson, who started his journey May 9 at a local qualifier with a 71 at Hokulia.
Larson was even better at Lake Merced (69) and The Olympic (69) in San Francisco. With only three bogeys over 36 holes, he finished at 7-under and tied for sixth in the 100-player field, though he didn’t think he played all that special.
“I had the up-most comfort and confidence,” Larson said. “I watched a lot of kids try to overpower the course. On every par 4 and 5, I just tried to hit a good shot 270 yards down the fairway.
“On the back nine, with the media and all the people from the Northern California Golf Association, I could tell it was beginning to be a big deal.”
The last golfer with Big Island ties to play in the U.S. Open was former UH-Hilo golfer Nick Mason in 2014.
Larson started playing high school golf for the Waveriders as a junior, and in the 2006 BIIF championship he had a chance to dethrone Honokaa’s Sean Maekawa before fading and finishing third. Maekawa went on to become a four-time BIIF champion
After high school, Larson’s parents bought a home in Naalehu, which is still his official address.
“I definitely want to give a shout-out to Ka’u,” he said.
