Newberry golfer is what U.S. Open is all about – a chance

Welcome to the United States Open – emphasis on Open – Golf Championship, Matt Campbell. Hope you enjoyed your time here at Erin Hills, and safe travels going home.

Campbell, “Soupy” to his hometown buddies – because, you know, Campbell’s Soup – absolutely enjoyed what he calls the biggest deal of his golf life, “absolutely, absolutely,” he said. And if it didn’t last as long as he might’ve liked, it was enough to upgrade his perspective on where golf might take him some day.

Campbell, 28 and a 2013 graduate of Newberry College and former golf team member, is what the U.S. Open is supposed to be about. Sure, the Dustin Johnsons and Rory McIlroys and Jason Days get the headlines – for good and, this week, not so good – but it’s the Campbells of the golf world who truly represent what this national championship is about.

Each year, golf hopefuls with 1.4 handicaps or better attempt to earn one of the relative handful of U.S. Open qualifying spots, out of a field numbering in the thousands. Make it through – as Campbell did by shooting 65-70 at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. – and you get to walk the same fairways and greens as the biggest names in golf, for at least 36 holes and, hopefully, more.

“Just getting through is awesome,” said Campbell, who said that, as recently as January, he “almost called it quits” playing professional golf. “I’ve always been hard on myself. People told me I have the game to be out here, but I just never really believed that.

“Now that I’m out here ... I wish I’d played a little better, but I feel like, ‘Hey, I’m out here now.’ ”

And boy, was that fun, he said. As an unknown, Campbell drew a curious and then supportive gallery of fans. “I got a few ‘Big Sexys’, which was really cool,” the plus-sized player said, laughing. “That’s nice to hear ... well, not from guys.”

In Thursday’s opening round on Erin Hills’ ruggedly hilly layout, Campbell too often found the course’s long, thick fescue rough, en route to a 5-over par 77 that minimized his chances of getting to the weekend. “That stuff’s brutal, and I was in it all day,” he said. After briefly getting on the leader board at 1-under, a triple bogey and a double bogey offset what was otherwise a “pretty steady round.”

His play Friday wasn’t enough to overcome that, so Campbell was planning his trip home to Rome, N.Y. – which, if you don’t know, is 15 minutes from Utica and known best as the home of the former Griffiss Air Force Base. It’s the kind of small town that made him a good fit for Newberry College when then-coach Brian McCants came calling 10 years ago.

“The best guy ever, just the most genuine guy I ever met,” Campbell said of McCants, now coaching at Xavier. “He’s reached out to me this week, along with some shout-outs from guys on the team.”

When Campbell played IJGA junior golf, his swing coach was a former McCants player at St. Andrews College (N.C.). “My first visit, he made you feel at home,” Campbell said. He concedes, though, that “when I drove up to (visit) Newberry from Hilton Head ... well, there’s not much there.” He laughed. “But it’s a cool little town.”

Campbell won a conference title and a Newberry-hosted tournament at Mid Carolina Country Club during his four seasons, and stuck around an extra year to finish his degree in leisure services.

Since, Campbell has played mini-tours and a handful of state opens; he won the Maine State Open two years ago. “Nothing big,” he said. He made it to the second round of PGA Tour Qualifying a year ago, but that was a rare attempt since, he said, “(attempting to qualify) costs a lot of money.”

He withdrew from his only previous U.S. Open qualifying because of a back injury, but this time was the charm. And though his experience was short-lived, it’s one he’ll never forget, especially if it’s the only time.

Back in Rome, he and his buddies will go fishing, listen to country music and, now and then, spend time helping an older friend at his farm, baling hay – which, given Erin Hills’ “hay” (fescue), probably wasn’t a bad training exercise.

“Well, it’s not good on your back,” Campbell said, laughing, “but it’s about the only exercise I’m doing, other than drinking a couple of cold ones here and there.” His beer of choice is Coors Light, or “lattes, we call them.”

This weekend, while the 36-hole survivors continue their quest for a U.S. Open title, Campbell and his buddies will watch on TV, enjoy some chilled “lattes” and share stories of two glorious days when Campbell lived his dream right here with the world’s best, chasing a national championship. Really, what more could any American player want?

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Newberry golfer is what U.S. Open is all about – a chance."