John Huh ready for first U.S. Open
It hasn’t quite sunk in yet for John Huh that he’s on the verge of completing the grand slam tour of major championships within the first 18 months of his burgeoning career.
The 2008 Crescenta Valley High graduate has already participated in the British Open, PGA Championship and the Masters. Now, he’s set to participate in the United States Open.
Huh will make his inaugural appearance in the 113th U.S. Open, when he tees off at 4:51 a.m. PDT Thursday at Merion Golf Club’s East Course in Ardmore, Pa.
“It’s going to be great to be a part of this and competing against a lot of the best players in the world,” said Huh, last year’s PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. “It’s going to be an exciting week for everybody.
“It’s my first U.S. Open and it’s my first time playing on the course. I’ve taken a couple of practice rounds and it’s a classic course. There are a few holes over 300 yards and some that are about 450, so I think it balances out.”
Huh, who helped Crescenta Valley win Pacific League championships in 2006 and 2007, will look to have all parts of his game clicking while playing the par-72 course that stretches 6,996 yards. Huh, 23, will participate in a group with Jerry Kelly and Charley Hoffman of the United States on the first day. The trio will tee off in the second round at 10:51 a.m. Friday. The championship will continue Saturday and conclude Sunday.
Huh, who previously played on the Korean Tour, made the cut in two of the previous three majors he competed in. Huh didn’t make the cut at the British Open last year. However, he made the cut at the PGA Championship last year and then finished tied for 11th at the Masters to earn him a trip back to the 2014 rendition.
Huh, who now resides near Dallas, said his main goal at the U.S. Open will be to make the cut Friday.
“I just want to get to the weekend and then reassess my goals,” said Huh, who has netted $822,503 this season in 17 events. “I’ve been hitting the ball well lately, but I realize that I’m going to have to stay patient and just play my own game.”
Huh has made the cut in 10 of his 17 events in 2013. His best finish came when he tied for eighth with Hoffman at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, in May. He’s scheduled to participate in the British Open in July and the PGA Championship in August.
It will mark the 18th time that Merion has hosted a United States Golf Assn. event, and the fifth time it’s held the U.S. Open. It previously held the championship in 1934, 1950, 1971 and 1981.
Webb Simpson won the championship in 2012 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
