Pair of New York-area golfers make US Open cut after bit of waiting

OAKMONT, Pa. — Ryan McCormick and James Nicholas, the two Met Area hopefuls who survived U.S. Open qualifying and were trying to make it to the weekend at Oakmont, faced identical putts on the 18th hole Friday thinking they needed them to make the cut.

Neither made the putt, which was pin high, some 15 feet to the right of the flag, and both walked off 18 gutted, thinking they were going home at 7-over par.

This was hours before the final cut number was established, so both went their separate ways, waited it out and hoped for the best.

In the end, they appeared to get their wish as the cut had moved to 7-over, matching their scores through 36 holes, with a couple groups left to finish due to darkness.

McCormick, from Middletown, N.J., began the day at even par and shot 77.

Nicholas, from Scarsdale, began the day at 1-under and shot 78.

When McCormick missed his birdie putt on 18, he slumped over his putter for several moments, trying to recover from the deflating miss.

Minutes later, when Nicholas missed his par putt from that same spot, he flipped his putter in the air in frustration.

“I knew that putt was to be for-sure in,” Nicholas said afterward.

“I had no idea. I didn’t look at scores,” McCormick said. “I asked [my caddie] Clark if we needed to make 3 on 18, and he said, ‘Probably.’ ”

Both players had nightmarish holes.

No. 4 was the killer for Nicholas, who took a quadruple-bogey 8 after drawing a sidehill lie near a bunker.

For McCormick, it was No. 17, where he got a terrible break with his tee shot coming to rest in the heavy rough with a downhill lie near a greenside bunker.

He took double after hitting his second shot over the green.

“I knew that could happen,” McCormick said of the break. “That’s a tough shot. You’ve got the ball below your feet. I just didn’t know any other way to get it on the green, to be honest with you.

“That’s what happens here. You’re off by a little bit, and you get penalized.”

Nicholas jokingly said he “got Oakmonted.”

He began his day with a double on No. 1 and shot a 10-over 45 on the front with the quadruple, the double and four bogeys.

He rallied on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 17 to get himself back in position.

“This place will get you,” Nicholas said. “It’s a tough test, but it’s a fair test. It’s not unfair. It’s not silly.”

Regardless of score or course difficulty, it was impossible to wipe the smile off Nicholas’ face.

“I’m living the dream,” he said. “This is your dream as a kid — playing the Open, your nation’s championship. So I hope it’s not over.”

It has, indeed, been a magical week for Nicholas, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Pirates game Monday.

“The USGA just asked me, and I texted him — I was like, ‘You sure you got the right number?’ ” he said. “Then I looked in the stands and saw Tommy Fleetwood sitting like five rows back, and I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re not supposed to be doing this?’ We had a funny moment there.

“My brother actually texted me, and he was like, ‘No offense, but they usually pick someone who’s famous.’ ”

Among other area locals to make the cut was Max Greyserman from Short Hills, N.J.

He shot a 3-under 67, the second-lowest round of the day, and stands at 3-over for the tournament.

Cameron Young grinded out a 4-over 74 to stand at 4-over.

Young hit just one of 14 fairways off the tee Friday, prompting his father, David, the former head pro at Sleepy Hollow CC in Westchester, to say, “I’m exhausted from watching it.”