Spring Mill's Crawford on #RoadtoOakmont; qualifies for U.S. OpenFour is Chris Crawford’s favorite number. Six is making a case for that label after Monday.
Crawford, an amateur out of Spring Mill Country Club, filed a 6-under-par 138 total to secure the sixth and final spot in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club (North and South Courses) in Summit, N.J. He’ll forever remember 6-6-16 as the day he punched his ticket to one of golf’s Major championships. The 116th U.S. Open Championship will take place June 13-19 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. “I don’t know if I can describe the feeling. It’s pretty incredible,” Crawford, 22, of Bensalem, Pa., said. “We were sitting around and kept saying, ‘I’ll see you in the first round of the U.S. Open.’ It’s pretty ridiculous. After I signed my card, I was bombarded by a bunch of cameras.” Crawford’s qualifying status drifted into jeopardy as his three-footer for par on the North Course’s 17th hole (par 4, 446 yards) — his 35th overall — never scared the cup. Knowing the stakes with one hole to go, Crawford, a Drexel University senior, hooked his tee shot on the monstrous No. 18 (par 5, 600 yards) 40 yards left into the first cut of the adjacent 13th fairway. His only method of returning to the 18th fairway was a 30-yard slice shot that wasn’t in the bag. Caddie Ben Feld, Drexel’s head golf coach, assured Crawford of his next move. After playing a 140-yard shot down the 13th fairway, Crawford stood 185 yards from a back left hole location. “I hit a 6-iron that was a little into the wind and got a little fortunate. It drew a little bit and caught the green, probably about 40 feet away,” he said. “The [birdie] putt didn’t break a whole lot. It was just up the hill, so we just kind of told ourselves to hit it hard and get it there. It happened to go in. “I kind of knelt down and the putt crept in on the left side. I gave it a pretty good fist pump. Ben came over and gave me a hug.” Unconventional. Unbelievable. Unforgettable. Crawford, the reigning Joseph H. Patterson Cup Champion, began the day as a face in the U.S. Open Sectional crowd. Teeing off No. 10 at Canoe Brook’s South Course, he made the turn in 1 under among a jumble of contenders. Crawford inked a 31 coming in to seize scoreboard stardom. He registered six birdies, three par 5s excluded, to finish the morning at 7 under, tied for the 18-hole lead. “I started hitting good shots and making good putts,” Crawford said. “I don’t really know how to describe it. I was kind of in a haze.” “It was best nine holes I’ve ever seen in person,” Feld, 25, of Plymouth Meeting, said. “I didn’t think that I could pinpoint any area of his game that was absolutely spectacular, but the kid found a way to shoot 6 under for nine holes. He found a way to maximize those holes. That’s what I was really most impressed about.” Crawford, in a five-year accounting program at Drexel, completed his final year of athletic eligibility in the spring. During his tenure as an on-course Dragon, he became the school’s first-ever CAA Men's Golfer of the Year in 2014. He is an 11-time CAA Golfer of the Week. Crawford led the Dragons in 2015-16 with a 71.8 stroke average. “Everyone locally knows how great of a player Chris is. He never really got the recognition nationally that he deserved,” Feld said. “For him to validate that he’s one of the best players in this country today really goes a long way. I couldn’t be happier for him. It’s been a long time coming for him to get a break like he did today. He played his heart out.”
Golf Association of Philadelphia
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A Walk Through Time
GAP is the oldest state or regional golf association in the country. It started courtesy of a friendly competition � the Team Matches � and has grown into the preeminent golf association in the country. Along the way, golf history has been made.
