Daniel Summerhays recalls 'one of the greatest rounds of golf' in U.S. Open at Oakmont

Daniel Summerhays wasn’t even supposed to play in the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Fate earned him a spot in the field, and, thanks to one of the greatest stretches of golf in the history of Oakmont Opens, he finished in the top 10.

In the second round, after opening with a 74, Summerhays shot 5-under-par 65 that included a sizzling 30 on the back nine.

“Probably one of the greatest rounds of golf I’ve ever played,” Summerhays, 41, told TribLive.

Summerhays wasn’t exempt for the 2016 U.S. Open, so he had to go through sectional qualifying. After tying for 38th at The Memorial, Summerhays remained in the Columbus, Ohio, area to play in the U.S. Open qualifying tournament.

He wound up in a six-man playoff for five spots at Oakmont. Among his competitors was a 19-year-old named Scottie Scheffler.

“Certainly I’m thinking, ‘Well, I’m definitely one of the five who are going to make it,’ ” Summerhays said.

But Summerhays missed a 5-foot putt and wound up as the odd man out.

“I was so distraught because I am literally the one guy out to go to Oakmont, one of the most storied U.S. Open locations,” said Summerhays, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour. “Flying home that day, I was just so mad and frustrated.”

Still, Summerhays figured he had a glimmer of hope. He was the first alternate from what he called “probably the toughest qualifying site,” so if players withdrew, he would be near the top of the pecking order to get a vacated spot.

Luck was on his side, and enough players withdrew to bump him into the field.

He was awed when he arrived at Oakmont to begin his Monday practice. He recalled the course being “absolutely perfect” but also intimidating. He took a picture of one of his sons, who, he said, was 5 or 6 years old at the time, laying in the rough. The boy almost couldn’t be seen.

“The fairways were fast. The greens were lightning fast,” Summerhays said, “and Monday, Tuesday I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Holy cow. This is the most difficult golf course I’ve ever seen.’ ”

Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, rain came and softened the course. Summerhays was able to take advantage.

In the second round, after an even-par 35 on the front nine, he made birdie on Nos. 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 to fire a 30 on the inward nine. His 65 came on a day when the scoring average was 73.6.

That vaulted him up the leaderboard, and his 1-under-par score put him just three shots off the lead at the midway point.

He followed with a 69 in the third round, which he finished in grand fashion. Because the weather backed up play, Summerhays had to finish his third round early Sunday morning. He made birdie on 15 then eagled the driveable 17th and finished the third round tied for fourth place at 2-under.

Playing in the third-to-last group in the final round, he shot 74 to end any hopes of a major title. Still, the tie for eighth was his best finish in a major to that point. (Later that summer he finished third in the PGA Championship.)

Summerhays’ brother, Boyd, who was coaching him at the time, had a medallion made to commemorate the 65. The round was the centerpiece of what turned out to be one of the best weeks of Summerhays’ pro career. A week that almost wasn’t.

“I was probably back home by 9:30 or 10 in the morning (the day after the Open), and I remember I couldn’t get my heart rate to calm down,” he said. “I was listening to my Zen breathing app to try to calm my mind, (get) my heart rate down.

“Just something about a major championship and being right in the thick of it, I think a few years came off my life that week.”