OAKMONT, Pa. — The way his golf ball hit the edge of the cup on the 15th hole and refused to drop for a bogey felt particularly cruel. It was as though Oakmont Country Club was revealing its full difficulty to George Duangmanee on a day his game had deserted him.
Playing in his first U.S. Open, Duangmanee recorded his fourth double bogey of the round on the lengthy par-4. Earlier, on the fourth hole, he had a chaotic time on the green leading to a triple bogey, contributing to a staggering score of 47 on the front nine.
At this level of golf, a nine-hole score approaching 40 is considered very poor. One that nears 50 is almost unheard of, like a unicorn. Yet, this is precisely what Oakmont is known for. Golfers who arrive hoping to display their skills are often humbled by a course specifically designed to be frustrating. Three of the four highest single-round scores recorded at the U.S. Open over the past two decades have happened here.
But the great appeal of the U.S. Open, as USGA CEO Mike Whan frequently emphasizes, is its openness. Anyone can attempt to qualify and compete alongside the world`s best players – whether it`s a 17-year-old, a dentist, or a 23-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, chasing his dream of professional golf.
Duangmanee turned professional in 2024 after graduating from the University of Virginia. He made his PGA Tour debut in May 2025 at the Myrtle Beach Classic, where he shot two rounds under par to make the cut and finished the tournament at 5 over.
For a player holding only conditional status on PGA Tour Americas, earned through qualifying school, this performance was further proof of his potential. However, the U.S. Open presented a challenge on a different scale.
“I feel like this was the biggest stage of golf I`ve ever played in,” Duangmanee commented.
Duangmanee had played arguably the best two rounds of his life just to earn the chance to walk Oakmont`s fairways. At Springfield Country Club in Ohio on June 2, in a qualifier where many professionals failed to advance, Duangmanee shot 68-67 to secure his spot.
It`s hard to find a better illustration of golf`s contrasts: shoot 5 under par to qualify for the U.S. Open, only to face scores like an 86 on Thursday and flirting with a 90 the very next day.
“I knew it was going to be a hard test coming in,” Duangmanee said. “I didn`t think it was going to be that hard.”
An exhausted Duangmanee seemed surprised when a USGA official informed him that a few reporters wished to speak with him. He had just spent over five hours battling the course and had clearly lost decisively. Yet, his perspective was notably positive.
“I`m really positive about just being here and excited for the confidence I can get from it,” Duangmanee stated. “It`s a little bit intimidating being around people you watch on TV every week, but I`m trying to learn as much as how they practice now, how they warm up and everything. So I`ve been keeping an eye on how the best in the world do it, so I`m going to use that going forward.”
Between holes on the back nine, Duangmanee allowed himself moments to relax and breathe. He chatted with Austen Truslow, one of his playing partners, drank water, and ate a sandwich. His game was in trouble, but his attitude remained resilient.
“Going into today, I just wanted to have fun out there,” Duangmanee explained. “I knew I was kind of out of it after my first round, so I just tried to enjoy the experience as much as possible, try to keep my head up, and I didn`t really get down on myself. I just kept going, and I was just happy to be here.”
The frustration was certainly present. When he couldn`t get his ball from the thick fescue onto the green on the 17th, he dropped his head in disappointment. His subsequent shot from the rough wasn`t much better, yet Duangmanee continued without complaint. Every shot followed his routine. On a day when Oakmont was eliminating players left and right, including some top professionals, Duangmanee chose to simply keep battling.
His tee shot on the 18th – a wayward drive that ended up in a fairway bunker, indicative of the trouble he had with his driver all day – set the stage for his final score. Duangmanee pitched out of the bunker, leaving himself a difficult wedge shot that landed long of the hole. The downhill par putt had little chance and slid well past.
The dream of playing in the U.S. Open had brought not only Duangmanee but his entire family to Oakmont. Both his parents, his brother (a junior on the UVA golf team), his grandfather, his girlfriend, and other relatives had all traveled to Pittsburgh to support him. His score was secondary to their presence.
“It does mean a lot to have people who want to be out here and watching me play golf and supporting me,” Duangmanee reflected.
On a warm, humid afternoon in Pittsburgh, with the stands around the 18th green only partially filled compared to how they would be in two days, Duangmanee lined up his bogey putt from 6 feet, 7 inches.
He studied it carefully, as if it were crucial for making the cut, and sank it cleanly.
As Duangmanee walked towards his caddie, he couldn`t help but smile slightly. His final score of 89 tied for the second-highest single-round score recorded at the U.S. Open over the last 20 years.
“Just making it here was a big accomplishment for me,” Duangmanee said. “It proves that what I`m doing, the hard work I`m putting in practice, is paying off. Being able to compete against the best guys in the world. It`s really where I want to be.”
Oakmont might be sending Duangmanee home with a score of 35 over par, but he`s not leaving the experience behind. He dedicated immense effort to reach this point and isn`t ready to simply move on from it.
“I`m definitely going to take at least three or four days off and just enjoy it with the family,” he said. “I think I will stay around. We`re already here, and it`s the U.S. Open.”
Marcus Blakely 
Wesley Dunham