Four relative unknowns who shined in U.S. Open’s first round

BROOKLINE, Mass. – World top-five players Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas were all among those to break par in Thursday’s opening round of the U.S. Open. Adam Hadwin shot 4-under 66 in the afternoon to take the solo lead.

Scattered across the first page of the leaderboard at The Country Club, though, are some lesser-known names who haven’t jockeyed for a PGA TOUR title in quite some time, if at all.

It’s part of the U.S. Open’s mystique, as the world’s elite compete on the same playing field as dozens who earned their tee times via 36-hole Final Qualifying. The Country Club, after all, is where 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet beat British stalwarts Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at the 1913 U.S. Open.

Here’s a look at four lesser-known names in the mix after Thursday’s opening round.

MJ Daffue (3-under 67)

The South African met two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen when he was in middle school, and the two remain close.

Now after making a late decision to attempt U.S. Open qualifying due to crossing the fail-safe points threshold to secure his first PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour, Daffue (sounds like Duffy) is on the leaderboard at The Country Club.

He played collegiately at Lamar University, turned pro in 2012, and after a series of agonizing misses at Second Stage of Q-School, he earned guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts for the first time via Final Stage Q-School last fall.

Money has been tight at times for the 33-year-old, who has admittedly battled depression amidst job uncertainty and loss – in 2013, his now-wife Kamie’s mom Jill tragically passed away after tripping on a street corner and being struck by a car.

“My life is really good,” Daffue said after the opening round. “I have a great family, and everybody is healthy, and I think just being grateful for things has really given me a step back, and looking from the outside in … eventually, this is just a game.

“We’re playing against the best in the world,” he added, “and this is just a privilege to be here.”

Callum Tarren (3-under 67)

The Englishman played collegiately at Radford University in Virginia and bounced around on various smaller tours before earning Korn Ferry Tour status via the No. 1 spot on the 2018 PGA TOUR China Order of Merit. He returned to Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in 2019, where after losing his swing during a 7-over 42 on the second nine of his opening round, he carded a final-round 65 to earn guaranteed starts on the number.

After missing the cut at the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season-ending Pinnacle Bank Championship last August, Tarren flew home for the birth of his first child, daughter Sofia. He made it just in time, spent a couple days at home in England, and flew back to the U.S. for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, where he secured his PGA TOUR card.

He secured his spot at The Country Club via Final Qualifying in Toronto, where he played in a twosome with Brandon Hagy. They completed the second round in 2 hours, 55 minutes, returning Tarren to a comfort zone of playing speedy rounds as a kid. His clubs arrived in Boston a day late, but based on his early returns at Brookline, he wasn’t fazed.

“I’m kind of pinching myself,” said Tarren upon realizing he shared the U.S. Open lead through the morning wave Thursday. “Just excited with my start, and let’s see what the next few days hold.”

David Lingmerth (3-under 67)

The Swede and former University of Arkansas golfer wasted no time after earning his TOUR card via the 2012 Korn Ferry Tour. He recorded two runners-up as a TOUR rookie in 2013, and won the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday in 2015.

For the former junior hockey standout, though, the golf game had fallen on hard times. Lingmerth hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish on TOUR since July 2017, and he has battled myriad injuries in his quest to recapture past form. He herniated two discs in his neck in 2017, and fractured his kneecap during a pickup hockey game in 2019.

“There have been some tough days, not going to lie, and you start asking yourself those questions,” Lingmerth said. “But I’m pretty stubborn, and I’m not one to give up. Deal with the fact that I am where I am today, and I’ve just try to get better every day.”

Lingmerth recently started working with coach Mark McCann – who also works with TOUR veteran Russell Knox – near his home base in northeast Florida. He’s optimistic, and early returns at Brookline suggest he’s on the right path.

Hayden Buckley (2-under 68)

The native of Tupelo, Mississippi, played at the University of Missouri on a 2 percent scholarship, essentially as a walk-on. Buckley’s junior golf results failed to attract buzz across the Division I landscape, but positive word-of-mouth reviews led Missouri coach Mark Leroux to offer him a spot on the team without seeing him hit a single shot.

With a homemade swing, Buckley channeled an underdog mentality into a successful career as a Tiger, ultimately earning third team All-American honors as a senior in 2017-18.

The same underdog mentality served Buckley well as he played the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season on conditional status. He arrived at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in February 2021 as an alternate, and warmed up on the range Thursday morning – in the dark – without a tee time. A last-minute withdrawal provided Buckley a spot in the field, and he proceeded to win the event in a playoff and earn his first PGA TOUR card.

Buckley entered the U.S. Open with just one made cut in his last seven starts, and he stands No. 112 in the FedExCup. He earned his way here, though, and is taking advantage.