By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Max Homa and Ricky Fowler couldn’t do it.
Neither could major champions Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari, Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink.
Shreveport’s Philip Barbaree Jr. did.
Not only did the former Byrd and LSU standout qualify for next weekend’s U.S. Open golf championship at storied Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh, Barbaree was the medalist at the USGA’s sectional qualifying tournament at West Palm Beach, Fla., to earn his invitation.
Barbaree shot a tournament best 8-under 64 in the rain-delayed final round of qualifying, playing his final 10 holes Tuesday morning in what was intended as a one-day, 36-hole event Monday at Emerald Dunes Golf Club.
It was one of 10 USGA sectionals contested around the country on Monday, billed as “golf’s longest day” due to the 36-hole format.
Coupled with his first round 69 Monday morning, Barbaree’s closing burst gave him an 11-under 133 and made him one of four players to move on to Oakmont from a sectional field of 78 who had emerged from local USGA qualifying events.
Barbaree’s total was tied by three of the other four qualifiers as the best 36-hole total. He made a 3-foot birdie putt on his last hole, the ninth at Emerald Dunes, to polish off a 5-under 31 over the final nine.
His caddy, just as she was during a recent South American swing on the PGA Tour Americas capped by a third-place finish at the Inter Rapidismo Championship, was his wife Chloe.
Among those not making the cut in West Palm Beach was McDowell, who has 16 pro wins including the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and is a four-time European Ryder Cup team member.
Barbaree will play in the U.S. Open as a pro for the first time. While at LSU, he qualified for the 2019 Open at Shinnecock Hills.
He will join another Shreveporter and former LSU teammate, PGA Tour standout Sam Burns, in the U.S. Open field. Burns is up to 33rd in the Official World Golf Rankings after his tie for 12th last week at The Memorial, where he carded a tournament-best 65 in rainy conditions in the second round.
Burns is playing this week at the Canadian Open in Toronto.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com