Torrey Pines was the perfect setting to stage a comeback.
Playing his first full week of tournament golf since recovering from injury, even he was surprised by his performance in achieving what was arguably the greatest accomplishment of his career.
And, no, I'm not talking about Tiger.
Duke senior Michael Quagliano stepped up to the tee box at the first hole of the U.S. Open after being sidelined since September, proving that in golf's national championship, fairy tales aren't just reserved for the world's best. (Just ask Rocco.)
Indeed, Quagliano's road to San Diego was about as difficult as it was improbable. The Ardsley, N.Y. native redshirted his senior season at Duke after he was so plagued by bone spurs in his back and a condition in his ribs that he wondered if he would ever swing a club again.
"To qualify for the U.S. Open was more than I would have every hoped for or thought was possible," Quagliano said after the tournament. "It was a dream come true."
But it wasn't just the long recovery from injury that lengthened the senior's path to the scenic course overlooking the Pacific Ocean: Quagliano actually missed his sectional qualifier by one stroke.
Golf, however, is a game of both talent and luck, of capitalizing on opportunities when they arise. So when Quagliano's phone rang early this month and a representative from the United States Golf Association was on the other end, he was presented with what would turn out to be the opportunity of a lifetime. The amateur could get another chance at qualifying-only not at the nearby country club in New York, but in Cordova, Tenn.
Quagliano could have just said, No thanks, stayed home and not incurred the physical or monetary costs of making the trip. But he instead decided to travel to the Volunteer state. The result? Shooting a lights-out 11-under and qualifying for the U.S. Open.
When asked if there was a moment once he arrived at Torrey Pines where he felt as if he had really made it, Quagliano cited his first official practice round.
"That was a really different thing for me," he said. "I've never played in front of a crowd of any size, really, and the crowd was as big as any you'll ever play in front of at a pro event."
It's also different playing part of that practice round with Retief Goosen or sitting a table away from Stuart Appleby at dinner with your family. But I guess that's all part of the package deal of playing in a major at 21.
Quagliano said the U.S. Open was also a "dream trip" for his parents, who both made the trip to San Diego. The senior said the Quaglianos don't really take traditional family vacations, that he usually just travels with one parent to wherever the next golf tournament is, which made this feel like a real vacation for them.
(If only I could put "Take Dad to U.S. Open to watch me play with the world's best" on my list of potential Father's Day gifts next year, I think it would go a long way in cementing my place as favorite child. The odds of that happening, though, are about as great as me birdying the par-4 10th at Torrey Pines. Though Quagliano did, in fact, do just that on Friday to card his only birdie of the tournament.)
In case you're wondering, the amateur shot an 86 and 81 to finish 25-over-par in his first major.
But numbers are really ancillary to the main point.
Consider this: On Thursday, Quagliano hit eight of 14 fairways. Tiger and Phil Mickelson hit only six. Quagliano also hit seven of 18 greens. Tiger and Phil hit 10 and 11, respectively. In a round in which he shot an 86, Quagliano said he missed five putts by mere inches and did not three-putt a single hole.
All of this goes to show that the difference between a college player and a professional one is at once inches and miles.
Quagliano might never play in an Open again. Or he might play in 20 more. But the truth is that no matter what happens in the future, no one will ever be able to take away that one magical spring when he went from waiting in the wings to the biggest stage in all of golf.
On the Wednesday before the Open, Quagliano said that Soren Hansen, a successful European tour player, gave him the following advice:
"Just keep doing what you're doing. I wish I were 21 playing as well as you. You've got plenty of time. Keep going. Be patient."
Knowing just how patient and perseverant Quagliano has been, I can't wait to see what he'll do next.
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