Willie Mack’s US Open debut was the reward for a long golfing career

Willie Mack III’s career path to this week’s U.S. Open, his first major since turning skilled in 2011, has sometimes involved stops in hotels in the small towns where he played. Some of those small town hotels could possibly be quite good.

But Mack never came upon.

That’s because as an alternative of relaxing in hotel rooms, Mack was living in hotel parking lots, camping out in the cramped backseat of his 2013 Ford Mustang. The tinted windows mostly prevented others from discovering his troubles.

“It was embarrassing and probably the only time in my life I ever lied to my mom, telling her I was in places I wasn’t,” said Mack, who used public restrooms and locker rooms at clubs where he performed. survive almost two years of transitional life. “My dad was the only person who knew and he kept checking on me.”

This nomadic career will definitely make Mack sweeter on Thursday morning when he hears his name called at the start of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 (8:57 a.m. ET start time, tenth hole).

It’s a moment he dreamed of when he first picked up a golf club at the age of 6, a milestone of playing in the major leagues that he imagined turning pro would come much sooner.

“You always dream of playing in something bigger,” Mack said. “I have always wanted to play in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and the opportunity to play in my first major championship will be special for me and my family.”

Mack, who played at Bethune-Cookman University, joins a list of graduates of historically black colleges and universities who will appear in the U.S. Open, including South Carolina State’s Adrian Stills and Morgan State University’s Jim Thorpe. Mack played at Bethune until 2011 under Gary Freeman, who coached the BCU men’s and girls’s teams to a total of 10 PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championships.

“He was like a second father to me,” Mack, a native of Flint, Michigan, said of Freeman. “It was great to be away from home and go to Daytona Beach.”

After starting his career on mini-tours that took him across the U.S. and spent lots of the backseat stops, Mack earned a spot to play on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2018. But the thrill of playing in the exclusive locales of Colombia, Guatemala and Jamaica diminished , when the math stopped working (he earned $766.62 for a T46 finish in the 2018 BMW Jamaica Classic).

Throughout his career, Mack needed to hustle to proceed pursuing his dreams. He made his PGA tour debut in January 2021 at the Farmers Insurance Open (replacing his friend Kamaiu Johnson, who needed to withdraw from sponsorship after testing positive for Covid-19), and later that month, Tiger Woods awarded him a spot in the Genesis Invitational 2021 as a part of Charlie Sifford’s release. In 4 PGA events in 2021, Mack has earned $28,343.

Mack’s next big accomplishment was earning a card for the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour. This turned out to be a one-year opportunity, as Mack ultimately lost his tour card at the end of the season, with earnings of $45,872 in 20 starts.

What ensures Mack’s return to golf yearly is the lifeline provided by mini-tournament events, where a win earns him enough money to play for one other week.

One of the most vital mini-tournaments is the Advocates Professional Golf Association, a tour established in 2010 with the mission of providing greater diversity and helping developing golfers, especially African-Americans, gain opportunities to play golf at the highest level. Mack returned to the APGA this season and is the first player on the tour to earn a spot in the US Open.

“This is a milestone,” said Kenyatta Ramsay, PGA Tour vice chairman of player development, who has helped organize APGA Tour events at major golf facilities. “Praise APGA for providing its employees with the opportunity to gain competitive reps and earn enough money to reinvest in themselves.”

Mack’s ability to reinvest in himself began on June 3, during the so-called “longest day in golf,” when 687 amateur and skilled golfers competed in 10 final qualifying tournaments, earning 44 available spots in the U.S. Open. Mack played at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida, where 73 players played 36 holes at five venues in the U.S. Open.

Mack entered the last of his 36 holes needing a birdie to force additional time. He made par 5s on two occasions and two-putted from 40 feet to succeed in the playoffs, which had three golfers playing for the final spot in the U.S. Open.

Mack was one in every of two golfers to advance to the second round of the playoffs, where he hit a solid bump-and-run chip from inside inches of the hole for par (his opponent, Brendan Valdes, three-putted for bogey ).

It was a moment that screamed for an emotional response from Mack, who as an alternative bowed his head as he went to shake Valdes’ hand after which hugged his brother Alex, who was carrying his bag.

“He carried my bag on the Korn Ferry Tour, so it was a moment where we did it together, full circle,” Mack said of his brother. “Then we went to our parents’ house and had a nice celebration.”

Mack’s even temperament may prove to be his best asset when it’s announced that he’ll play his first round on Thursday.

“Standing on the first tee, I know I’ll be as nervous as anyone in this situation,” Mack said. “But once I hit that first tee shot, I go back to work, hoping that I can achieve something great with it.”

Mack has definitely had to beat many challenges to get to this moment, and surviving those nights in the backseat of a Mustang may only help him accept what he’ll face in his first career.

“My dad always told me, ‘Never give up,’” Mack said. “People undergo something day by day. I’ve been through a lot and I’d do it again knowing how much I like this game.