'You get punched in the face': At U.S. Open, dreams unravel fast

Matt Vogt was in Thursday's first tee time at the U.S.

Open.

Getty Images OAKMONT, Pa.

The dentist had one hell of a U.S.

Open.

Until the tournament started.

If you followed the lead-up to this years national championship, youve likely stumbled on his story by now.

The dentist is Matthew Vogt, a big-swinging Indiana mid-am who balances his practice (dental) with his practice (golf) and seems to have excelled at both.

The story gets better than just his occupation, though: He and Oakmont go way back.

He caddied here when he was younger and describes it as a life-changing gig in more ways than one.

Even as I just talk about it now, I get sentimental on it.

This place means so much to me, Vogt said at a pre-tournament press conference on Monday.

He described the members as incredible.

He name-checked Stanley Druckenmiller, a billionaire hedge-fund-manager-turned-philanthropist.

He provided me and a lot of the caddies with a scholarship to help with college.

So Im just indebted to this place, and Im so grateful.

His qualifying story was unlikely and inspiring, a 34-year-old amateur with a direct tie to the host course whod earned his way through an 18-hole shootout at local qualifying and then a 36-hole shootout at sectionals and suddenly had a tee time in his national championship.

Stories from Vogts genre are part of what make this event the biggest and most egalitarian of the major championships.

The qualifiers arent usually dentists (although, if were dishing out fun facts, Dr.

Cary Middlecoff did run a dental practice before giving up the gig at 26 to play pro golf a decision that paid off when he went on to win two U.S.

Opens plus a Masters) but theyre high schoolers and theyre pros who chip one-handed and theyre grinders who have beat Tour players in playoffs to get here.

Theyre all even par through Wednesday, at which point anything could still happen.

Things only get bittersweet once you have to keep score.

Vogts Thursday got off to a memorable start.

He hit the first tee shot of the championship a snap-hooked drive more than a fairway over on his way to make a par, then made another at No.

2.

But he was understandably dejected as he came off the course some four hours, six bogeys and three doubles later.

Hed performed respectably, beating a couple pros and tying a couple more with his 12-over 82, and hed made it out alive after a bout with arguably the hardest course in the world.

But when youve already earned a dream berth in the U.S.

Open, you want to keep dreaming.

Respectable probably isnt in the plans.

You just get behind the eight ball here, and honestly your head starts spinning.

Thats what it feels like your head starts spinning out here, and it just gets away from you, he said in a post-round interview session.

At a U.S.

Open, you cant get away with mental or physical errors, he added and you definitely cant get away with both.

Vogt clearly believes in the power of positivity; he did his best to give assembled media members a bright spot from a challenging day.

But hes also a golfer, and every golfer gets glum (and usually worse) after an unsatisfying round.

I think down the road there will definitely be a lot of things to take from today, he said.

Im trying to have a silver lining on shooting 82.

His was far from the only disappointing score; because of the nature of golf and golfers plus the setup of this particular championship test, its safe to say that a serious majority of the field left disappointed after Round 1.

They say you cant win the U.S.

Open on Thursday, but you can lose it and theyre right.

Evan Beck birdied two of his last three holes to break 80, no small triumph, but hell be unlikely to make the weekend.

It was a memorable week for amateurs Trevor Gutschewski, Noah Kent and Cameron Tankersley, too, but after each shot 10 over par theyre unlikely to play Saturday, either.

Its not just the ams who felt short of their expectations: each of the last four major winners shot over par, and there are Ryder Cuppers in tough spots too (Patrick Cantlay at six-over par, Justin Rose at seven, Shane Lowry at nine).

Vogts 82 tied Matt McCarty, who won on the PGA Tour last fall and finished top 15 at the Masters and finished T4 on Tour just last week.

There are reminders everywhere: this is hard.

Mason Howell, the high schooler who lit up sectional qualifying, spoke after an opening 77.

It was a fun day.

Fun playing in front of the crowd, he said.

Even he couldnt help but add this: I wish I played a little better.

There are two lessons here, and certainly more.

1.

These guys are good.

J.J.

Spaun is a better-than-average PGA Tour player but hardly a superstar and he beat Vogt by 16 shots on Thursday.

Golf has plenty of randomness a top amateur has a better chance of beating a top pro than, say, a college basketball player taking LeBron 1 v.

1 but under its toughest conditions, its remarkable how the best sort their way to the top.

2.

The U.S.

Open does not play favorites.

The beauty of the U.S.

Open is its democratic roots, but that cuts both ways.

Oakmont is set up to dole out punishment to all comers, no matter their stories, their connections to the course, their proficiency at plaque removal.

It is cold and unflinching.

There are no lifelines you can call, no shortcuts to a lower score.

There is only playing better.

Vogt said hell sure try.

The last however-many years Ive tried to just work really, really hard, he said.

I think it would be easy to kind of go take a nap and say that was awful and just mope, but Im just going to honestly get something to eat and work really, really hard and try to build on something tomorrow.

If theres one thing golf is good at, its bringing you back for more.

After Thursdays beatdown, is he excited to do it all again? I need a nap first after that, he added.

But yeah, super excited.

Super, super excited..

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