Martin opened with a 74 at
Olympic Club, where he last
played the U.S. Open in 1998.
Martin’s back by the bay By ryan herrington
It was roughly six months ago that Casey Martin first entertained the crazy notion of playing in the 2012 U.S. Open. “He came to me
sometime late last year and said, ‘You
know, I think I’m going to try to qualify.
It’s back at Olympic Club,’ ” recalled
Casey’s father, King. “I just kind of
smiled and thought, ‘Wow, OK.’ ”
Never mind that it had been half
a dozen years since he had played
in any competition more strenuous
than a Monday scramble, the former
fledgling PGA Tour professional hav-
70 June 25, 2012 � Golf World.com
ing taken his well-publicized golf cart
and driven down a new career path in
2006 when he became the men’s golf
coach at Oregon.
A few days after their conversation,
King received a gift in the mail for re-
newing his USGA membership: a 2012
U.S. Open-logoed hat. An omen? Per-
haps. “I put it on a mantle in my office,
really never thinking it would happen,”
King said. “But look at him now.”
Indeed, there was his son, 10 days
removed from his unexpected victory
at sectional qualifying in Oregon,
riding along in cart No. 96 on a sun-
splashed Thursday in San Francisco,
the dream realized.
