experience gained at the recent Masters showed for amateur Ollie Goss today as he calmly posted a 1-over 71 to be right in contention going into the second round of the US Open at Pinehurst.
‘I handled it pretty well’ Goss told Golf Australia after getting his second major underway. ‘I was slightly nervous on the first tee, but nothing crazy and managed to hit it quite deep down the fairway which was good. I really didn’t get too nervous all day," Goss said.
In a tournament where low numbers will be hard to post due to the brutal nature of the Pinehurst Number 2 course, Goss played with maturity beyond his years.
‘It was a good day. I was hitting it well and was 1-under through 10. Even with a bogey on 9 (his birdie putt lipped out) and an unfortunate double on 11 (four putt) I managed to par in for 1-over. Goss explained. "It’s a pretty good score, 3 or 4 off the lead, and really good from a confidence point of view. The aim for tomorrow is more of the same. Hit to the wide sides of the greens, don’t short side yourself, try to hole a couple of putts and stay in the mix."
Today was a great treat for fans of Australian golf. Goss was grouped alongside Aaron Baddeley and Aron Price and the mateship between players and caddies was evident for the galleries to see. "I got a lot of support from my Aussie playing partners and we chit-chatted quite a bit through the day. We were encouraging each other’s balls to get up or sit down. It was great fun." said Goss.
Goss is working this week for the first time with caddy Shane Joel, who caddied for Mark O'Meara for ten years. Goss will spend some time with O'Meara while in Pinehurst as he continues his golf education as an amateur.
Round two commences for Goss at 2.09pm local time tomorrow.