Better than a tie: Dads celebrate Father's Day at U.S. Open

Every Father’s Day, Larry Piko plays a round of golf.

Each year Piko’s wife, Valerie, and his sons, Larry Jr., 8, and William, 4, meet him at the 18th hole with signs and take him to lunch.

“At this point, I don’t think it’s a surprise anymore, but we make signs and make a big deal out of it,” Valerie said.

This Father’s Day, Piko took a break from tradition. He didn’t play his annual round. Instead, his family surprised him with tickets to the U.S. Open.

He and his family made the trip from Wheeling, W.Va., to Oakmont Country Club to attend the U.S. Open. Sunday marked the third and last day the Pikos were at the tournament.

“We really like golf as a family, so this is really special,” Piko said.

Larry Jr. has been golfing since he was 5, and William got his first set of clubs last summer. Both boys were keeping an eye out for pro Scottie Scheffler as they traveled from hole to hole.

Robb Miller found out he was coming to the U.S. Open when his sons Jake, 26, of Baltimore and Luke, 25, of Washington, D.C., surprised him with a ticket to the final round a couple of weeks before the tournament. The three of them spent the day taking photos, eating and, of course, watching golf.

“It’s a great gift,” said Miller. “We’re enjoying the day, having fun. It was a wonderful surprise.”

The group unanimously decided to root for pro Viktor Hovland. “It’s the perfect way to spend Father’s Day,” Luke said.

Eric Thiessen and his family decided to make a trip across the river from O’Hara for Father’s Day.

“Oakmont’s a special place,” Thiessen said. “My whole life I’ve always wanted to try and play here and I’ve always wanted to walk the course, so this is really special.”

During the 2016 U.S. Open, Thiessen and his wife, Trista agreed to one day bring their future child to experience the magic of the tournament. They sat with their 5-year-old son, Asher, while enjoying lunch during the last round of the 2025 Open.

The couple has been slowly introducing Asher to the game of golf. He chips balls in the backyard and has been to the driving range more than once.

“It was really exciting to be able to bring him and enjoy the day together,” Thiessen said.

Jamie McClurg spent Father’s Day with his grandson, Matthew Leigh, 17. McClurg bought Matthew tickets to the final two rounds of the Open as a Christmas and birthday gift.

“2025 is covered,” McClurg, of Florida, said.

Matthew is a member of his high school’s varsity golf team in Michigan. McClurg said spending the day with his grandson was an “awesome” way to spend Father’s Day.

“We hang out a lot. We play a lot of golf together,” McClurg said.

Kevin Carl and his family recently took up golf as a family activity. In the last year or so, Carl has discovered his son Finn, 13, is a fairly skilled player while the rest of the Carls just enjoy each other’s company. It was no surprise for Carl when his daughter Mia, 15, wife, Nadine Champsi and his son wanted to plan a day at the Open for Father’s Day.

The family spent Sunday morning following pro Rory McIlroy’s game before finding a spot in the grandstands to rest their legs.

“It was kind of amazing,” Champsi said. “We’ve seen him on TV, but to actually see him in person, it’s pretty incredible.”

Despite McIlroy not putting on his best performance this Open, Carl found himself enjoying the competition.

“I’m really enjoying how difficult the course is because it makes me feel better about my own golf game,” he said.

“It’s been really cool getting to see all the golfers and being able to spend the day with my dad,” Mia said.

Zach Zollner of Mars, had a Father’s Day full of sports. His sons, Owen, 8, and Eli, 5, spent the morning playing baseball before attending the final round of the U.S. Open. The three of them spent the day watching the match and had time to share some dad jokes.

“I keep my dad jokes in a ‘dad’-abase,” Zollner said.