COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The last few days have been a whirlwind for Ohio State golfer Maxwell Moldovan, who earned one of the final three spots at last week’s US Open.
The Buckeye senior was in Los Angeles on Sunday waiting to see if he would play as an alternate in his second career major.
The call came and he took full advantage of the opportunity, shooting a 71 on back-to-back days to make the cut on the line at +2, giving Moldovan a chance to play over the weekend.
He was one of only four amateurs to make the cut, finishing ahead of some of the biggest names in golf, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa.
The weekend didn’t go as Moldovan hoped, shooting +15 to finish tied for 65th, but there were plenty of positives to take away from the experience.
In order to have the opportunity to be an alternate, Moldovan had to compete in an eight-person playoff two weeks ago at the Springfield Country Club. He finished first, earning him the first alternate position for the 123rd US Open.
The other positive for Moldovan was making the US Open cut one year after he missed it at the very same major. Moldovan acknowledged his disappointing performance in the final two rounds but knows how special the experience was in L.A.
“Realizing I did make the cut at the US Open I think is going to give me a lot of confidence the next time we tee it up at any event,” Moldovan said. “I have to give myself a little credit that this week I was one of the best 65 players in the world, so that was a cool feeling and I just have to soak that in and not beat myself up so much about the last two rounds.”