Holding the annual U.S. Open Local Qualifier at the CasaBlanca in Mesquite, Nev. is now an annual tradition for the Southern Nevada Golf Association in alliance with the United States Golf Association. Four golfers moved on to the Section round: Las Vegas residents Grant Booth, Yuki Moriyama, Mathew Mangenello plus Utah’s Casey Fowles.
Yuki Moriyama, UNLV golfer who graduated the week of the qualifier.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about your round today and qualifying?
It’s a pretty big tournament. It’s the opportunity for us open qualifying. I was out there and just tried my best. I got off to a pretty hot start with three birdies in a row. I had a double bogey in the middle of the round, but I got it back with the eagle and then finished it with birdie on 17. I had some tough moments out there, but I was able to grind through and then finish strong, so I’m pretty happy with that.
What is it like pursuing the dream of the US Open?
The US Open is a big major event we always watch. I watch Masters, the Open and Us Open since I was little with my dad. It’s one of my dreams to play in a major event, so it is such a big opportunity. It’s also a cool opportunity for the USGA giving everyone a chance to play and qualify, so, yeah, it’s pretty cool.
And what’s the first thing that comes to your mind now that you’re graduating from UNLV about your UNLV time and your time in Vegas?
It was great. I’m a transfer from University of Oregon. I played UNLV for two years under Coach Hebert, coach AJ McInerney and then Spencer Dunaway and it was great. Time flies. It was so quick and I had a great time out there and I love Vegas. I’ve been in Vegas since high school. It was such a good fit for me and it was great. I’m gonna miss it and now I’m trying to step up to the professional golf career and then see what happens this summer Q school wise. I haven’t decided if I’m gonna turn pro right away or not.
Grant Booth, Univ. of Nevada Alum.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind after a great round today to move on to the next stage of qualifying?
I think it was just really nice to play a really solid round. Obviously, qualifiers are always the toughest part of the gig, but to stay strong the whole day and keep hitting good tee shots you have to hit out here and the good shots into the green, I think is just more satisfying than anything and just gives me a little extra confidence moving forward.
And what does it mean to you to keep the dream alive, so to speak?
It’s great. I got through my first one last year, and did my first 36-hole day for this and it was just so much fun. It’s definitely like a good vibe, good hype around it too, and it comes to that day and it gives you something to get ready for. Hopefully, you have a good day and you can get out there play the real test.
It was something like 10,000 plus entries in 109 different local qualifiers. Yeah. What, describe the feeling of pursuing that dream?
I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that, but when you do it, it’s amazing. There’s so many people that are into the game of golf and are out here trying to do it. I guess it’s just another feather in the cap to get through to this point and to get to the next step. It’s awesome. I just look forward to the next stage now.
And Taylor Montgomery’s on your bag today. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about him helping you out?
Well I’ve been on the other side and I’ve actually carried his clubs a bit for him, so it’s really nice of him to come out here because he’s getting ready for the PGA Championship next week. He’s one of my best mates in the world and he is a great person, so just to have him there helped. To enjoy the day with him was obviously great and definitely helped me on the greens more than anything else. it was great.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about the Casablanca course?
Oh, I love it. How can I, not today? I’ve played here in the Nevada Open a couple times. And so playing it this time of year was a little different but probably more suited to me just with the firmness of it. With the tricky winds, you had to control your ball flight and stuff. It was a great test today. It was definitely not easy and you had to hit quality shots. It was great.
What did you do well today?
I hit it really well off the tee. Everything was solid and it was rewarding to not have a bogey. I played smart into the greens and just gave myself a lot of good looks and made a couple of them along the way and kind of took care of the par fives.
