While glory and fanfare and no shortage of money awaits the winner of the 123rd US Open, for some, just earning the right to tee it up alongside the sport’s biggest names is a dream come true.
That’s certainly the case for part-time Uber driver Berry Henson. The 43-year-old was born in Palm Springs, California, not far from Los Angeles Country Club, fittingly the scene of his impending Major debut.
And like all good Hollywood scripts, he earned his stripes the hard way. The World No. 444 came through 36-hole final qualifying, dubbed ‘Golf’s Longest Day’, as hundreds of players battled it out across North America for a handful of spots in the third men’s Major of the year.
An opening seven-under 64 at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey, vaulted him into top spot before a level-par 71 saw him clinch second and one of the four exemptions up for grabs.
“I’m excited,” Henson told FOX Business host Neil Cavuto. “I’m ready to go. I’m prepared. My team is ready. We’ve built 43 years of my career to be ready for this point. And, I got nothing to lose. I got nothing to lose. Let’s go do it.”
Henson, who turned pro in 2003, boasts three professional wins, the last of which came almost a decade ago. He plies his trade mainly on the Asian Tour now but also doubles as an Uber driver in his spare time, something that certainly sets him apart from the A-list cast he’ll be rubbing shoulders with this week.
However, rather than be overwhelmed by the situation, Henson says he is relishing the experience that awaits him, adding: “I mean, pressure’s good, right? It’s the excited pressure. That’s what you want. The nervous pressure you’d want to get away.”
Certainly no-one would blame him for having a few jitters at LACC, the battleground for the first Major since the shock news that the traditional tours have agreed a merger with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. And amid all the off-course attention surrounding the sport, this is the sort of feel-good story much needed in the current landscape of men’s professional golf.
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