What makes the U.S. Open great? It's the everyman's major

By foxsports
Published

Most of us men had dreams of being a great athlete when we were younger. We visualized fortune, fame and all that good stuff. But as we got a little older, we realized that breaking into professional sports on the highest level is pretty much impossible. It's reserved for the best 1 percent of the best 1 percent.

Eventually you come to grips with the fact that you'll never get to dunk on LeBron James in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. You'll never get to catch a slightly deflated football thrown by Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.  Forget about the champagne baths for winning the World Series. Almost all of us have to let those dreams go ... but not golfers.

Golf is the only sport in which an average Joe can actually compete with the best of the best. With a handicap of 1.4 or better, anyone can have an opportunity to play the biggest tournament in American golf alongside Rory, Tiger, Jordan and Rickie. Professional or amateur. It's part of what makes golf special.

The USGA conducts local qualifiers at 111 sites across the U.S. to allow anyone with a little skill and a dream to compete in the U.S. Open. Among the 156-man U.S. Open field, only 50 or 60 players will be exempt. The rest have to make it through the qualifiers. This year, about 10,000 entrants are trying for a spot, and if they're good enough to make it through the locals they'll go to one of 12 sectional sites. Ten sectionals are in the U.S., one is in England and one is in Japan.  From there, those who qualify can play in one of the four biggest tournaments in all of golf: the U.S. Open.

In my day, I was fortunate enough to play in three U.S. Opens, so allow me to give the aspiring participants a little idea of what to expect if they make it to the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.   

First off, the local hotels are going to gouge you for every penny they can. Unfortunately, they know they have a packed house when the Open comes to town, and it's not in their best interest to cut any deals.  In 2000, I paid $350 a night for a cruddy little studio (not non-smoking) room in Carmel, Calif. And I don't smoke! The usual rate for any given day was less than $100. The USGA felt so bad that it couldn't negotiate better prices for the participants that every player got an extra $1,000 just for playing.

Second, the practice rounds will be slow going. If you want to play in less than 6 hours you better show up at 5:30 am and beat the crowd. The USGA loves to set up the course to be unbelievably difficult, and in order to be fully prepared you'll need to practice shots you've never imagined -- especially at Chambers Bay. There are so many humps around the green you will need to hit 100 chips a day to maybe learn all the weird bounces your ball can take if it misses the green. Make sure your smart phone is fully charged because you'll be playing plenty of Candy Crush as you watch the group in front of you practice every possible chip shot to every possible pin placement. Several times.

The most shocking thing is just how hard the golf courses are. If you've never played in the U.S. Open, you'll never understand how difficult golf can be. After one round, you're going to feel like you've lasted 12 rounds with Mayweather. There is just no way to prepare yourself for the 18 hardest holes you'll ever play in your life. The greens are the fastest, the fairways are the narrowest, and the rough is the thickest. Not to mention Chambers Bay is going to be the longest course ever played in championship golf.

I'll share a story that I'm still a little ashamed of, but it'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

At Pebble Beach in 2000, the one Tiger won by 15 strokes, I qualified for my first Open. I had been on the PGA Tour for four years already, and I was pretty cocky. After playing well Thursday and Friday, my swing started to leave me. I began to hit the ball in the rough. And in the bunkers. A lot.

At any other tournament, I could have figured out some way to make pars, but the U.S. Open exposed my flaws. I was helpless. I triple-bogeyed 9 on Sunday and told my playing partner, Darren Clarke, that I may need help counting all the strokes I had taken. He couldn't stop laughing. After back-to-back 84s, I secured last place by seven shots. Then I slept for the next two days.

But back to what's ahead for you: This will be the greatest golf experience of your life. You may be the club champion at your home course or the No. 2 player on your college team, but you'll feel like taking on the world when you drop your range balls in between Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson and prepare to play in a major championship.

There is just no way for the average athlete to compete for the Super Bowl or World Series trophy. But if you make it through the local qualifier and play well in the sectional qualifier, you may just have the chance to play for the biggest trophy in all of golf.  Trust me, even if you shoot 84-84, it's worth every double bogey. 

Former PGA Tour pro Robert Damron is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com's golf coverage. Follow him on Twitter @RobertDDamron.