Berry Henson, a 43-year-old golfer who on Monday qualified for the U.S. Open, shortly thereafter went back to work. As an Uber driver.
Next week he will be competing against the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm at the Los Angeles Country Club in the biggest tournament of his life.
But this week he’ll driving Uber passengers and working on his golf game that looked to be in pristine condition Monday. With more than 500 golfers competing on the final day of qualifying for the 123rd U.S. Open, Henson secured one of the coveted spots with a 7-under, 36-hole total of 134 (64-71) at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey.
When qualifying was over, Henson was not only on the range but behind the wheel.
“You know, I go to the golf course, play golf, pick up an Uber ride on the way back and maybe get two, three, four rides a day,” Henson told USA TODAY Sports his routine. “I’ll be doing a few Uber rides in L.A. probably next week.”
Henson, also known for dancing after big shots and for referring to himself on social media as “The Hensonator” and to his fans as “Hensonator Nation”, has put the journey in journeyman.
Henson spends most of the year at his home in Thailand. That was not the original plan.
He grew up in Palm Desert, California, 120 miles east of Los Angeles, and played golf for the University of San Diego from 1998 to 2003. Then he set out to play pro golf and, in search of his PGA Tour card, headed to Q-School.
Seven times he entered Q-School, and seven times he failed to get his card. The final attempt came in 2011, said Henson, who recalled a conversation he had with Marshall McComb, one of his financial backers.
“I was so bummed out, and we had to make a decision on what we were going to do next year,” Henson said. “All my other money was tapped, and he’s like, ‘Hey, I got five grand.’”
With that money, Henson headed to the Asian Tour Q-School.
“I won first stage and finished 11th in finals and got my card,” he said, adding that he won his fifth and sixth events on the Asian Tour. “And then things just kind of snowballed.”
Henson has been a top-30 player in Asia for the past decade, ranks 438th in the world rankings and said he has made as much as $325,000 in a year, with additional winnings from European events. He also has continued to chase his dreams of qualifying for the U.S. Open − so many times he’s lost count.
From the start of his round Monday at qualifying,…
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