Sports

Beau Knows Golf, Takes His Swing at History

Beau Hossler is the pre-tournament darling of the U.S. Open, where he will try to make a name for himself amid the world's best golfers. Did we mention he was 16?

Beau Hossler Jr. is on the clock. His 15 minutes of fame have begun. However, don't bet against him getting an extension. Time is on his side.

His picture is in USA Today and the Washington Post. His comments are on the sports news. He's the man of the moment. Well, schoolboy of the moment, anyway.

Tiger Woods is twice as old—plus an extra three years—as Hossler.

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He is a young 16—he had a birthday March 16—and is playing golf this week in one of the sport's four majors, the U.S. Golf Championship, more commonly referred to as the U.S. Open.

He is the second youngest player in event history—Tadd Fujikawa was 15 when he qualified in 2006—and Hossler's using it as a learning experience so he can turn this dream week into his profession.

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One week after taking his final exams at —pre-calculus and chemistry—the sophomore faces a test that makes no concession for youth or late-night cramming: Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.

"The most difficult part so far, as far as preparing for the Open, has been mentally," Hossler said. "I've had a lot of distractions. It's not a negative, but it makes it more difficult to get into my little zone of preparation.

"I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunity I've been given and make sure I'm not going into the tournament unprepared and that I'm in the best position to play my best golf on the biggest stage."

The U.S. Open, the only major composed of professional and amateur golfers playing alongside each other, is annually one of the most difficult on the PGA tour. It is notorious for tough pin placements.

When Hossler tees off today, he'll take a swing at history, hoping to succeed where Fujikawa failed. At Winged Foot in 2006, Fujikawa missed the cut—the opportunity to play the last half of the four-round event—by nine strokes by shooting 81 and 77 (158) on the par 72 course.

"My No. 1 goal is to compete, obviously, and by competing, I'm going to learn," Hossler said before embarking on the trip of his lifetime. "Through the competition and seeing all the best players, I'm going to learn directly from that."

He has had back problems this year that have required physical therapy, and his dad, Beau Sr., said his son was just now coming out of them. "It was kind of unexpected," the father said of his son's opportunity to play in the tournament by finishing third in the sectional qualifier at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. "His goal was to just get to the U.S. Junior Amateur. He went there for the experience. It's very unexpected, a nice treat."

It's not the first time Hossler has exceeded expectations. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2009 when he was 14 and competed against college players and grown men. He finished mid-pack, which would be an extraordinary outcome this weekend.

He left Sunday with his mother, Amy Balsz, from their Mission Viejo home and was joined earlier this week by his dad, friends and family.

"My attitude is that I'm going to go out there and compete, and this experience I'll be able to draw from for the rest of my career, see what kind of life I might possibly live if everything goes according to plan."

What he has discovered in the 11 days since he qualified is that life in the majors is a lot different.

"It's very hectic, but it's fun," he said. "It's good to be in the spotlight. I enjoy it. I'm not going in thinking of anything other than what I would be thinking about if I was going into a junior golf event—whatever happens happens, and I have to live with the results either way. The attention that's come from this has been much different than what's happened before.

"It's a really big deal. I didn't see this happening. I saw it to some extent, but not this extent."

He had to turn off his cell phone, because of the crush of media requests,  until he was finished with his school year, which technically ended last Friday. He still has one test to go, an English exam. "They were kind enough to delay it so that I didn't have to have three tests in the same day," he said.

He got calls from equipment companies, reporters, friends, family and,  obviously, the guys at Mission Viejo Country Club, where he usually plays. "Everyone in my life was trying to talk to me," Hossler said. "It was awesome to have all their support, but it was making my days very busy—definitely different than before."

Add to that the other thing Hossler did last week. After the qualifier Monday, he went to Pebble Beach and played for his Rancho Santa Margarita school team in the California State Championship at Poppy Hills. . Hossler shot a team-best two-over 74, five strokes behind the co-winners.

Another difference is that he shot to the front of the line with TaylorMade Golf, the Carlsbad-based golf equipment manufacturer that has outfitted him for this weekend's event. "I'm always in contact with my rep," Hossler explained, "but he's always got guys that have more priority. Now I'm in the biggest tournament of the year; it's become a faster transaction."

It has had to be, because his life has been a whirlwind.

He's wearing new apparel and using "one or two different clubs that will help me fit the conditions of the course and strike the ball the way that I want to."

He's got a bag with his name on it. He's driving a courtesy car from Lexus, and he has played a practice round on Congressional, the only one in his group to play the full 18 holes.

He has signed autographs, run late for a tee time, turned away fans—running late will do that—and gotten a dose of what it's like to be the object of attention inside the ropes. He has already achieved one goal by meeting his favorite golfer, Phil Mickelson, on Tuesday.

He has been living the dream for a couple of weeks, but now is the time to really begin living it. No more imagination. Today, the club strikes the ball,  and Hossler takes his shot.

"You can't pass up playing in such a major event," he said. "It's unbelievable. It's going to be awesome."


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