young;alternates
get;good;news
starting u.s. open week as first and second alternates,
amateurs Jordan spieth and andy Zhang (shown) found
themselves begrudgingly hoping for the best by wishing
for the worst. a spot in the field at olympic club required
the misfortune of others, which gladly/sadly came monday evening when brandt snedeker and paul casey withdrew with injuries. spieth, 18, is still catching his breath
after a whirlwind few weeks. the two-time u.s. Junior
champ wrapped up an all-american freshman college
season by helping texas claim the ncaa title, then flew
that night from los angeles to houston for his 36-hole
open sectional qualifier the next morning. playing on
three hours sleep, he nearly bowed out during his second
18 but hung tough in a playoff to maintain an outside
shot at playing at olympic. if spieth has learned to keep
his wits about him, Zhang might want to ask him how
he does it. at 14, the native of china who moved to the
u.s. four years ago is set to become the youngest u.s.
open participant, a milestone that has turned him into
an instant media star. “i will try to enjoy it as much as
possible,” said Zhang, his grin revealing a mouth full of
braces. “i want to play well, but just to play on a major
championship course is great.” the good news: they
can both stop hoping for bad news. —Ryan Herrington
(@GWcampusinsider)
04
stuart franklin/getty images
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