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A dentist, UPS driver highlight crazy stories from U.S. Open Final Qualifying
U.S. Open Final Qualifying may be the only event on the golf calendar in which a dentist, a high schooler and a UPS driver can compete for a chance to play in the third major championship of the season. Now that the "Longest Day in Golf" has ended, let's recap the five craziest stories from Final Qualifying on Monday and Tuesday.
34-year-old dentist beats the odds
Matthew Vogt, DDS, is keeping his father close to his heart as he goes home to Pittsburgh for the U.S. Open. ❤️
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 3, 2025
Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/xuR35yxj0X
Maybe the most unexpected story from U.S. Open Final Qualifying came at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, where 34-year-old amateur Matt Vogt shot eight under in two rounds to punch his ticket to Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, site of the U.S. Open from June 12-15.
When he's not on the golf course, Vogt works as a dentist and oral surgeon in Indianapolis. Before earning his DDS, Vogt caddied at Oakmont and played college golf at Butler University.
In two weeks, Vogt will return to Oakmont to play a "home game" at a course he knows pretty darn well.
17-year-old high schooler goes nuclear
At Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, high school junior Mason Howell shot 63-63 to shoot 18 under in two rounds and lock up a spot in the U.S. Open. The 17-year-old made a ridiculous 18 birdies and no bogeys in 36 holes.
Howell plans on continuing his golf career at the University of Georgia, but he has a date with Oakmont Country Club first.
Recent college graduate makes 18 birdies and an albatross
Howell wasn't the only player who made Piedmont look easy. Jackson Buchanan, who recently graduated from the University of Illinois, shot 18 under with 18 birdies, three bogeys and a double eagle on the par-5 10th hole. He went 16 under in his final 27 holes of the qualifying event.
These kids have some serious game.
UPS driver gets disqualified for silly mistake
The wild story of UPS driver Nick Barrett's DQ in Maryland.
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) June 2, 2025
Nick makes birdie on 18 to complete his first round and shot 73 (+2). He has about 50 people watching him. As he walks off the green his Dad gives him a high five and they go down to the patio area to get something to…
In the most bizarre story of the day, UPS driver Nick Barrett missed out on a chance to play in the U.S. Open because he forgot to sign his scorecard. After shooting a two-over 73 in the first round at Woodmont Country Club, the 31-year-old went to grab a quick lunch and failed to confirm his scorecard with officials. Once he realized his mistake, it was already too late.
Barrett was disqualified before the second round, ending his dreams of qualifying for the U.S. Open.
50-year-old journeyman gets another shot
The young guns dominated U.S. Open Final Qualifying, but Justin Hicks proved on Tuesday he can still hang with the big hitters at age 50. Hicks, who has made 117 starts on the PGA Tour and has eight career major championship appearances, is back in the U.S. Open after winning the qualifier at Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
More must-reads:
- Rickie Fowler’s $600,000 payday wasn’t his biggest prize at the Memorial
- The most annoying fan bases in sports
- Can you name every male golfer to win at least three majors in the last 50 years?
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Tiger Woods unintentionally molded Scottie Scheffler into the best golfer in the world
Scottie Scheffler is the most dominant golfer we've seen since Tiger Woods in his prime, but he wasn't always at this level. It took Scheffler 73 starts before he finally won his first PGA Tour event at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. Since then, he's rattled off 21 worldwide wins, and he has Woods to thank. Ahead of the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Scheffler explained how playing with Woods in the final round of the 2020 Masters taught him a valuable lesson about what it takes to succeed on the PGA Tour. "The biggest change I felt like I made my first couple years on Tour to 2022 was the question always was, hey, how come you haven't won? The reason I felt like I hadn't won yet is I hadn't put myself in position enough times. I'd only played in a couple final groups. I always found myself just a little bit on the outside looking in, and that's one of the things I learned from playing with Tiger," Scheffler told reporters on Wednesday. "It was like, we're in 20th place or whatever going into Sunday at the Masters. Tiger has won five Masters; he's got no chance of winning the tournament. Then we showed up on the first hole and I was watching him read his putt, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, this guy is in it right now.'" Scheffler recalled how locked in Woods was in the final round despite being out of contention. He also mentioned how impressed he was when Woods birdied five of his last six holes after making a 10 on the par-3 12th. "I just admired the intensity that he brought to each round, and that's something that I try to emulate," Scheffler added. "It's not an easy thing to play a golf tournament. If I'm going to take a week off, I might as well just stay home. I'm not going to come out here to take a week off. If I'm playing in a tournament, I'm going to give it my all. That's really all it boils down to. "That was something that I just thought about for a long time. I felt like a change I needed to make was bringing that same intensity to each round and each shot … I think it's just the amount of consistency and the intensity that I bring to each round of golf is not taking shots off, not taking rounds off, not taking tournaments off." What used to be a weakness for Scheffler quickly became a superpower. The World No. 1 approaches every PGA Tour round like it's the final round of a major championship, and it shows in his consistency. Scheffler has played 72 competitive rounds this season. He's shot over par only seven times, and two of them came at the brutally tough U.S. Open in which only one player finished the tournament under par. Dating back to the Travelers Championship, he's shot in the 60s in 19 of his last 20 rounds. That level of consistency is nearly impossible to beat. The rest of the PGA Tour can't be happy that Woods gave Scheffler the secret sauce to dominating professional golf a few years ago.
Angry Mike Vrabel vows to find 'rats' within Patriots organization who leaked major news
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
Buccaneers' Shilo Sanders may have jeopardized chance to make 53-man roster
Saturday was not a good day for Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, two players competing for a spot on the 53-man roster of their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hours after Shedeur took more sacks (five) than completions (three) and had a heated moment with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Shilo was ejected from the Buccaneers' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. "Bucs S Shilo Sanders has been ejected from tonight's game following an unnecessary roughness penalty," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers posted on X. Shilo appeared to take exception to Zach Davidson hitting and blocking him after a play had ended before the rookie took a swing at the Bills' tight end. The ejection came at a bad time for Shilo, who was competing with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the No. 4 safety spot on the depth chart. Before the game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Shilo's output against the Bills would be big in his evaluation before the team has to trim the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. "Shilo's very aggressive, very young, very hungry," Bowles said. "He can make plays in the box and we know he can run down and give us 100% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up." Following the ejection, Shilo lost critical playing time to show his strengths on the field. He also showed the coaching staff a short temper and cost Tampa Bay with an unnecessary penalty. Shilo will end his preseason with four total tackles. He has shown he has the talent to be in the league, but Shilo's role will likely be as a practice squad player until his play and mental strength develop.
Raiders, Vikings Could Work Out Trade After Aidan O’Connell Injury
The Minnesota Vikings sent the 142nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks for Sam Howell and the 172nd overall pick, but the quarterback may not even make the Week 1 roster. With roster cuts right around the corner, nobody should be too surprised if Minnesota cuts the former late-round pick and moves forward with a different option behind J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy is clearly entrenched atop the depth chart, and undrafted free agent Max Brosmer has played well against admittedly weak competition. While entrusting him to be the full-time backup would be dangerous, he might not make it through waivers if the team cuts him. He’d be an ideal third quarterback for the 2025 season with the potential to grow into a long-term backup. Sam Howell, however, has struggled for the Vikings. While he had a good drive or two, the overall body of work leaves a lot to be desired. Minnesota recently brought in Carson Wentz for a visit, and he’d be a capable QB2 for the season. Cutting Howell would be surprising, but perhaps they could trade him to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their backup quarterback while Aidan O’Connell recovers from a wrist injury. Vikings, Raiders Could Agree to Aidan O’Connell Trade Aidan O’Connell is not a starting-caliber quarterback, but he is one of the league’s better backups. The former fourth-round pick has started 17 games over the past two seasons, going 7-10 on a weak roster while completing 62.6% of his passes for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Again, he’s clearly an inferior option to Geno Smith, but he’s more than capable of filling in and keeping the offense afloat. Unfortunately, he’s going to miss some time thanks to a wrist injury sustained in the preseason finale. Reports indicate he will miss 6-8 weeks with this injury, and Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reports Vegas will look for a new quarterback. Howell could be the ideal choice, as Cam Miller is the only other quarterback on the roster. Much like O’Connell, Howell is not a starting-caliber quarterback in this league, but he possesses starting experience. The fifth-round pick led the Washington Commanders in 2023, starting all 17 games while finishing the year with 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. Again, there’s a reason he spent the 2024 season as a backup, but he could be a valuable insurance policy for a team that believes they can compete in 2025.
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