By Torleif Sorenson on 6/9/15

It's... HAMMER TIME!!!

It has happened again — a teen-ager has qualified for the U.S. Open Championship. This time, it is Houston-area resident Cole Hammer, who made it through a regional qualifier, then through the sectional qualifier at the Northwood Club in Dallas, where Julius Boros won the 1952 U.S. Open.

As Art Stricklin of Golf Magazine notes, Hammer is 15 years, ten months, 20 days old — making him the third youngest ever to get into a U.S. Open. In the morning, Hammer shot a blistering 64 — just two off the course record — then carved out a 68 under oppressive 95° conditions in the afternoon.

We hasten to point out that this is not the first time a teenager has qualified. In particular, we recall the story of then-16-year-old Derek Tolan of Colorado, who qualified for the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. John Feinstein detailed the remarkable adventure in his book Open (at right) — and if you haven't read this book, we highly recommend that you do. Your correspondent has read it at least three times and it is still as entertaining now as it was when it was released in 2003.

Hammer had this to say after punching his ticket to Chambers Bay, as quoted by Stricklin:

"I never dreamed I could do it. This means the world to me. When I saw Jordan [Spieth] win the Masters (at age 21), I said, alright I can do this.

"I've never been to a U.S. Open before, I was just hoping to make the U.S. Junior later this summer. We didn’t have any plans for that weekend, but I guess we do now."

Bravo, Cole. Bravo.


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