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Scott Gregory takes brutal U.S. Open first round in stride

By Brandon Raper

SOUTHAMPTON, NY - JUNE 14: Scott Gregory of England plays his second shot from the bunker on the second hole during the first round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 14, 2018 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, NY - JUNE 14: Scott Gregory of England plays his second shot from the bunker on the second hole during the first round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 14, 2018 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
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Scott Gregory took the worst of it in the first round of the 2018 U.S. Open on Thursday. While the day couldn’t have gone any worse, he took it all in stride.

Scott Gregory isn’t exactly a household name in the United States. Heck, he’s still brand new to the world of professional golf. This year’s U.S. Open is his fourth time on the major championship stage, and he’s already made a bit of history.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind he was looking for.

Gregory opened his week at the U.S. Open – short though it will be – shooting a monstrous round of 92 at Shinnecock Hills. For those of you who quit counting around the turn, that’s 22 over par. Of course, with the weather keeping scores in check all day, he’s also only 23 shots off the lead. So, you know, there’s that.

In all seriousness, though, Gregory was merely the guy who took the worst beating that the tag team of Mother Nature and Shinnecock handed out on Thursday. The 23-year-old did make three pars on the day. Unfortunately, he also made two triple bogeys, three doubles, and 10 bogeys.

As anybody who plays golf at any level will understand, there comes a time when you have to just accept that it isn’t your day. For most of us, that’s a simple weekend round with friends. Worst case, maybe it’s in the club championship, with a sting that only gets worse in the grill room.

In a major championship, that would be soul crushing. Right? Just check out some of Gregory’s tweets and you’ll see how broken up he is.

Okay, so it’s easy to joke around in the DMs. Surely he had some time to reflect and mourn his awful outing.

Looking forward to playing well tomorrow. #GolfIsHard. This seems far too reasonable, doesn’t it?

Scott Gregory: Still “quite good” despite disaster

Gregory took a few minutes to talk to reporters after the carnage mercifully ended for the day. That, in itself, is something many top stars, including Rory McIlroy, didn’t do.

"“I tried everything: teeing it low, hitting bit draws, big slices, nothing worked,” said Gregory, who closed out the front nine with five straight bogeys to make the turn in 47. “If you stuck me in the fairway I would’ve played pretty good.“I gave it everything I had. I’m not one to give up. I just tried to keep plugging away. I just couldn’t get driver in the fairway and it spiraled out of control.”"

So we’ve got a healthy dose of realism, a sprinkling of positivity, and just general good vibes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the guy had never picked up a club before.

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Of course, he has, and he’s far better than this one day would have you believe. Gregory won the 2016 Amateur Championship, and earned 2.5 of Team Great Britain and Ireland’s seven points in the 2017 Walker Cup. He turned pro after that event, and he played his way through sectional qualifying just last week to punch his ticket to Shinnecock.

Sure, he shot 92 on Thursday, the first round of 90 or more since 2002 at Bethpage Black. That was Felix Casas, if you’re looking to win your trivia league this week. However, Gregory is holding on to two big reminders from big stars this week.

First, Gregory got to meet Tiger Woods for the first time this week, getting his photo taken with the all-time legend. That print will live in Gregory’s locker until he vacates it (most likely) on Friday evening. Meeting your childhood idol, AND competing against him? Winning.

The other reminder? Rory McIlroy shot 80 on Thursday, tied for the worst round of his career. How does that help Gregory, though?

“Realizing you are quite good,” Gregory said with a smile. “Everyone has bad days.”

Next: U.S. Open: Tough weather, tougher greens beat up the field in opener

If that’s not the kind of guy you can pull for, I don’t know what to tell you. Here’s hoping Scott Gregory shoots 60 on Friday, just to make things interesting.

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