A Golden opportunity
Moore native is medalist with a six-under-par 65
Moore native is medalist with a six-under-par 65

It's been a long and lonely road for Brad Golden.

The 28-year-old Moore resident and Westmoore graduate seemed well on his way to playing golf on the PGA Tour when a hip injury left him sidelined in 2005.

For more than a year, Golden didn't touch a club, and playing on the tour began to seem more and more unlikely.

But the dream of playing with the big boys took a big leap towards reality Monday.

Shooting 6-under par will do that.

Golden shot a 65 at the par 71 Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club to become the medalist of a windy local U.S. Open qualifier. He was three strokes better than Oral Roberts junior Terence Begnel, who played in the same group with Golden.

"It really helps to go against a guy who is playing well,” Begnel said. "He is a great player.”

Golden will now play in a sectional qualifier on June 2 — likely at Columbine Country Club in Littleton, Colo., just outside of Denver — for a chance to play in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif., June 12-15.

"Everyone wants to play in the Open,” Golden said. "Of course, it is a dream of mine. Always has been.”

This isn't the first time Golden has had a shot at the Open. It will be his third trip to a 36-hole sectional qualifier in five tries. But he has yet to make that cut.

"Everyone there can play golf,” said Golden, who played at Wichita State for four years. "The field will be extremely tough.”

Golden didn't expect to be competing for a shot at the Open; at least not this year.

After qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach in 1999, Golden spent several years playing on mini-tours.

He entered in the 2005 PGA Tour qualifying school, but his hip prevented him from making the cut.

He gave up golf, and became an insurance salesman.

"I could barely walk,” Golden said. "I had to do something to make money, and I definitely couldn't swing a club. I didn't even look at my clubs during that time.”

Then, a failed audition for a Golf Channel program last year put a little fire back under Golden. His competitive spirit made a comeback.

"I guess I just wasn't what they were looking for,” Golden said. "But that made me get back out and work on my game.”

He spent seven days a week pounding golf balls and hitting putts at Belmar Golf Club in Norman, where he is a member.

"It started to come back pretty quickly, and just last week I started putting some good scores together again,” he said.

Golden said his approach to golf is different this time around.

"When I was playing before, I was at a really frustrated point in my life, and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting where I wanted to be,” he said. "I spent a lot of time praying, and now, I just play and God takes care of the results.”

The results were taken care of Monday and, as a result, 36 holes separate Golden from arguably the grandest stage in golf.

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