Jackson Suber, 24, makes the most of last minute entrance into U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. – Extra holes for an alternate spot can feel like the most anticlimactic playoff in golf. Jackson Suber might be on his way to changing that.

After rounds of 70-65 at the U.S. Open’s Final Qualifying site in Maryland, Suber faced a three-man playoff to determine the site’s two alternate spots. Suber, a second-year Korn Ferry Tour member, made a 50-footer on the third extra hole (his 39th of the day) and earned the spot after Kieran Vincent missed a 5-footer. It was a nice feeling but there were no guarantees – Suber was first alternate at Pinehurst No. 2 until Tuesday afternoon, when Jon Rahm’s WD gave him a Thursday afternoon tee time with Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama.

The opportunity wasn’t lost on Suber, 24, who opened in 1-under 69 on a classic U.S. Open test in the Carolina Sandhills, good for a share of ninth place after the first round. He has gone from uncertainty to contention, just four strokes back of co-leaders Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy.

“Tuesday I didn't sleep very well after getting the news,” Suber said. “But I've kind of calmed down … It’s been a roller coaster. That’s the only way I can describe it.

“To play at a place like Pinehurst at a U.S. Open … it's incredible. That's the only way I can really put it. To come out of that tunnel and see all the people, all the way up and down the fairway, it's just really cool, especially at a golf course like this with the history it has and the difficulty of it.”

Suber’s showing comes at a critical juncture in his Korn Ferry Tour season, as he missed four straight cuts before taking last week off; he stands No. 44 on the season-long standings, on which the top 30 will earn 2025 Korn Ferry Tour membership. (The equivalent of FedExCup points earned at the U.S. Open will cross over to the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, a crossover first instituted in 2023. This means Suber’s finish at Pinehurst could help him earn his first PGA TOUR card, which is his ultimate goal this season.)

Suber had a flight booked Wednesday morning to this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event in Wichita as a contingency, but after learning on the eighth hole of a Tuesday afternoon practice round that Rahm would be withdrawing, he didn’t need it.

Now he’s teaching the golf world a lesson in the power of always grinding, even when the preferred outcome seems unlikely. He’ll turn quickly to Friday morning’s second round (7:51 a.m. with Spieth and Matsuyama), where a similar score would mean a late Saturday tee time and the corresponding curiosity amidst sports fans: Who is Jackson Suber?

He's a Tampa-area native who played collegiately at Ole Miss, finishing No. 9 on the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking. He lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as his favorite sports team, and he enjoys hunting and wakeboarding. He’s modest in temperament but a determined worker, and he’s curious about the world around him. And now he’s maximizing an unexpected opportunity at his national championship.

After a Thursday evening session in the Pinehurst press room, he wasn’t afraid to deliver a wisecrack either.

“Come meet me after you finish your media,” he told his caddie Ryan Orr, a former PGA TOUR Canada/Latinoamerica player who has recently transitioned away from a competitive playing career.

Orr told the media he was grateful to be here, same as his boss. And to stay persistent. You never know what can happen, especially at a U.S. Open.

“I always believed I could do this,” Suber said. “You never know if you’re actually going to do it, but … I feel like I always knew this was in me. Didn’t know if it was going to happen for sure, because nothing in life is for sure, but for sure I was going to give it my best chance and worked hard to be here and feel like I have a good earning of this. And just need to keep working hard and staying humble.”