Robert Rock arrived at the U.S. Open less than 12 hours before his first tee shot, his delay caused by visa issues stemming from a DUI incident when he was a teenager.
That’s quite a story in itself, but here’s the punch line: The Englishman shot a 1-under-par 70 in Thursday’s first round, good enough for a tie for 10th, despite playing a difficult course he had never seen previously.
“I couldn’t really picture the holes,” he said, “until we walked a hundred yards down the fairway and I could see what was going on.” Rock qualified for his first U.S. Open two weeks ago, but he said the DUI from years ago complicated his efforts to get to the U.S. It wasn’t until 4 p.m. Wednesday that the approval came through and he got his passport back. He then took an 8 p.m. flight from England to Newark, N.J., and, upon landing, hired a car for $1,000 to get him to Bethesda, Md., arriving at 3:30 a.m.
Then there was one final important bit of business — seeking out Richie Ramsey, the player who would have taken Rock’s spot in the field if Rock hadn’t made it.
“I saw him just before I teed off and apologized for wasting his time, really,” Rock said.
In the meantime, he was also dealing with the excitement of winning the Italian Open on Sunday. With all that going on, there hasn’t been much time for sleep. “I could do with some more,” he said, “if you don’t mind.” The Associated Press
