00:00Mason, catch me up in those listening and watching this on 2025.
00:06Get me to the beginning of this year on just your entire journey, basically, to that point, because you're obviously a player who's found a lot this summer.
00:16But up until that point, was there confidence from yourself heading into this year that this could be a breakout year?
00:23You're committed currently to go to the to University of Georgia, which that isn't exactly an easy scholarship to get to play for Chris Acker for Georgia.
00:32So just catch us up before this big run you've had this summer.
00:36Yeah, no, you know, ever since I committed, I feel like it's kind of freed me up, honestly, to just get after it.
00:44Like playing college golf is obviously a lot of junior golfers, big goal and getting a big D1 scholarship.
00:49So that was like a weight off my shoulders. And yeah, making the turn into the year, I was starting high school golf, playing some big junior tournaments and was playing well, but didn't really have any like finishes.
01:03I know I could go home and celebrate. Then what kind of stood out was in April, I won my state championship, which we have a pretty stiff, stiff classification.
01:13And yeah, and then I didn't really have anything until that U.S. Open qualifier.
01:18I did the first stage of qualifying and played super well there and then went into final stage.
01:23I've been playing really good at home, played well and qualified.
01:27And so that was kind of the moment for me that kind of boosted my confidence and things kind of started to take off from there.
01:34All right. So driving to the golf course for the sectional qualifier in it was in Atlanta, correct?
01:39Yeah, it was.
01:40What golf course do you play at?
01:41Piedmont Driving Club.
01:43Piedmont Driving Club. So you're driving to the golf course that day. You're obviously playing some good golf.
01:47You get off to, was it a 63? Is that what you shot the first round?
01:51Was it lower than that?
01:52So you shoot 63 in the opening round. You got 18 more holes left to go.
01:56At what point did you start to think about, oh my gosh, I have a chance to qualify for the U.S. Open.
02:02And how were you able to manage those nerves and be able to continue to play well?
02:05Because you went out and what did you shoot like 64 or five in the second round?
02:0863, 63.
02:10Oh, is that it? Oh, my bad. Pardon me.
02:11I clipped you a couple of shots. I mean, what, dude? Back, like backing up a 63 is really difficult to do.
02:18I mean, how in the zone were you that day? Was it just, was golf as easy as it's ever been?
02:23Yeah. Thankful. Thankful I didn't have to like come back the next day and play or anything like that.
02:27I'm just happy I could keep on running.
02:28But like we finished the first 18 and I only had like 30 minutes until I teed off again.
02:33So I went inside, like down to hamburger as quick as I could and looked at my phone, looked at the leaderboard.
02:38And I had like a three shot lead and they were taking five that day, I think.
02:43And so I knew if I went and I set my dad and I, we set a goal.
02:47It was just under par on each nine.
02:49I mean, that probably gets it done.
02:52You did it.
02:53But I was, I was so nervous starting the second round compared to finishing the second round.
03:03I knew like backing up a round like that is, it's, it's difficult.
03:07But yeah, I remember on one, I like on the second 18, I like kind of flared a drive and I was like, oh, here we go.
03:14So it turned out being okay.
03:18And then I missed like a 12 footer for birdie.
03:21And then two, I absolutely went for a par five and two and boned myself like a long or a green.
03:27And I like pulled out a full swing flop and hit it to like a foot.
03:30And I was like, okay, here we go again.
03:32It's just, it's just the beginning.
03:34Well, yeah, obviously you get it going and you shoot that 63 qualifier for the U.S. Open.
03:39And so this would have been in, let's see, early June.
03:42And the U.S. Sam is late or late August.
03:46So you have two weeks later, you're playing in the U.S. Open.
03:50So tell me about the lead up heading into the U.S. Open, what that experience was like at Oakmont.
03:55And if, correct me if I'm wrong, but you weren't qualified for the U.S. Sam via just qualifying for the U.S. Open.
04:03Did you still have to go and qualify for the U.S. Sam?
04:05So I had a U.S. Sam qualifier on the dates, but qualifying for the U.S. Open got me into the U.S. Sam.
04:13It did get you in.
04:14Okay, got it.
04:15I was blessed for that to not have to go do some qualifier in Orlando.
04:18Charlie and I were trying to figure that out, but we really couldn't even find it on the Google machine.
04:22It wasn't giving us anything.
04:23So tell me about Oakmont.
04:24How was it?
04:25Yeah, Oakmont was hard.
04:26Yeah, it was like everything that people said about it was true, but it was so much fun.
04:32Playing some practice rounds with some cool people.
04:34I played one, I played two practice rounds with Harris.
04:37Played like six holes with Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood walked with us.
04:43And I played the tournament rounds with Chris Goddorup to see him.
04:46Oh, he played great too.
04:47Yeah, stretch in July.
04:49Yeah, that was pretty awesome.
04:51And yeah, that golf course was so good.
04:54It was so hard though.
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