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Oakmont toughens up, but Kokrak still enjoyed U.S. Open
Former Warren JFK golfer finishes
tied for 37th at Oakmont tournament
By Tom Williams
OAKMONT, PA.
Even though he wasn’t enjoying the closing round he had hoped for, Jason Kokrak was feeling love during his final holes on Sunday at the U.S. Open.
As the 2003 Warren JFK High School graduate approached the No. 15 green at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh (and split by the Pennsylvania Turnpike), patrons seated in the shade behind the No. 18 tee viewing stand chanted his name.
Then as the 2007 Xavier University graduate walked up the hill to the 17th green, fans chanted, “Let’s go X.”
And as he strode toward the final green, “Go Ohio” and “Let’s Go Cavs” cheers were sent his way.
Kokrak, who was completing a frustrating 4-over par 74 for the second straight day, responded with a thumbs up. He finished tied for 37th, 13 strokes behind winner Dustin Johnson.
He wasn’t surprised by the support that he agreed was more than usual.
“There’s just more people [I know] here,” Kokrak said. “[Home] is about an hour and 20 minutes from this golf course so there are a lot of family and friends in town.
“It’s nice to have that support.”
Kokrak was competing in his second U.S. Open, Coincidentally, both were at Oakmont. The first one was in 2007 when he was an amateur and missed he cut.
Things went much better on Friday for the 31-year-old golfer in his fifth season on the PGA Tour.
Because of Thursday’s thunderstorms that allowed just nine golfers to finish the opening round, Kokrak as well as about half of the original field played 36 holes on Friday. His rounds of 70 and 71 had him tied for 16th place at the halfway point.
But as the sun baked the course, conditions changed. By Saturday, the formerly soaked greens turned fast.
Saturday, Kokrak shot a 4-over 74 to fall into a tie for 34th place once the third round was completed on Sunday morning.
Sunday, Kokrak and playing partner Justin Thomas teed off at 12:40 p.m. in bright sunshine. Kokrak bogeyed holes two and four, but birdied five to finish the first half at 1-over par. The second half did not go as well.
Kokrak felt the greens were extremely tough to tame.
“Green speeds were a little bit faster,” Kokrak said of the difference from Friday to Sunday. “The USGA just decided they wanted the pins in on the backside of every mound slope.”
His tee shot on 10 landed in a bunker on the right and he needed a 3-foot putt for bogey. He also bogeyed the next hole.
“Ten was a complete joke,” Kokrak said of the pin. “On 11, there was a 2x2 foot square where the ball would stop.
“I just think they were trying to make the golf course harder [then needed],” Kokrak said. “The rain made the golf course easier [Friday so] the USGA just made it hard just for the sake of being hard.”
Kokrak came close to a birdie on 13, then bogeyed the next hole after his second shot landed in a bunker to the left of the green.
His fourth bogey of the back nine came on the par-three 16 when his tee shot landed at the bottom of the hill to the right of the green. His chip shot came within 10 feet of the hole, but he needed two putts to finish.
His best hole of the back nine was 17, when his tee shot landed at the edge of the green. His eagle putt was just short, so he tapped in for birdie.
Asked what he’ll take away from the experience of his first U.S. Open as a professional, Kokrak said he wasn’t sure,
“It’s my first major [payday], I guess,” Kokrak said, “Played well, just [not well enough].”
A diehard Cavs fan, Kokrak said he enjoyed playing near the home of the Pirates, Penguins and Steelers.
“This week was a nice week, I played here so it’s a place I’ve known,” Kokrak said. “I’ve good memories [from 2007] and I had fun this week — just a couple of shots back there [I’d like back.]”
Although he made the cut, Kokrak said his future Open plans revolve around qualifying once again.
“I don’t know how any of that works,” said Kokrak, adding that he believes a top-10 finish is required for an exemption. “I [think I] always [will] have to qualify.”