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Open Championship: 5 amateurs join the Royal Birkdale field

By Josh Farnsworth

HARTFORD, WI - JUNE 16: Amateur Maverick McNealy of the United States plays his shot from the fifth tee during the second round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 16, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, WI - JUNE 16: Amateur Maverick McNealy of the United States plays his shot from the fifth tee during the second round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 16, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Open Championship
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Amateur Maverick McNealy of the United States hits his tee shot on the 1st hole during a practice round prior to the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 19, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

After nearly making the cut at the U.S. Open, McNealy seems the most reasonably positioned of the amateur group to strike fear into the hearts of the professional golfers.

The 2016 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner played well enough at last weekend’s John Deere Classic to merit watching.

McNealy’s quotes in The Guardian this week may have not been about amateurs in the field, but those who are can still use them as sage words of advice.

“When you have a 5-foot putt you have to make it; it doesn’t matter who you are,” he said.

Sink enough of them, Maverick, and casual fans are sure to take notice. And if nerves might be a worry, McNealy is in one of the first pairings. Translation: no waiting around anxiously for his first tee shot.

Tee time (EST): 1:46 a.m.

Pairing includes: Phachara Khongwatmai, Stuart Manley

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