'Everybody has a chance to do it.' Local golfers advance for a spot in the U.S. Open

It's a hard thing to kill a dream.

Nowhere was that more clear than on Monday at Maketewah Country Club. Golfers come from all over for USGA local qualifying to play 18 holes, vying for a spot in sectionals, where there's a chance to qualify for this summer's U.S. Open golf championship.

There were 144 entries, ranging in age from 15 to 64 years old.

Some are high schoolers, college golfers, amateurs with day jobs, local golf pros and professionals playing mini-tours, and the Monday qualifier circuit for spots on the bigger stages.

More: What are the best public golf courses in Ohio and where are they? Here's a list

The top nine at Maketewah earn a spot in sectionals, and no matter their age or pedigree, they arrive with two simple reasons for playing.

Competition and a dream.

"I can't remember how many times we were sitting on the putting green at Clovernook (Country Club) like, this putt's to win the U.S. Open or this putt's to win the Masters," said Daniel Wetterich, a 2015 La Salle High School grad who shot even par on Monday at Maketewah to advance to sectionals.

Matthew Wetterich, Daniel's older brother, and a 2013 La Salle grad who went on to play at Xavier University, said that dream is always there, but the focus has to be on competing.

"Everybody wants to play in the U.S. Open. It's a childhood dream but if you go into your round thinking that, you kind of get distracted," said Matthew, who shot 1-under par on Monday to make it to sectionals for the second year in a row. "That's why you just gotta kind of compete rather than teeing it up on the first hole of the local qualifier thinking 'I could qualify for the U.S. Open' ... 90% of the time you'll probably fail because you put too much pressure on yourself."

Daniel's a professional. Matthew's an amateur. But that doesn't matter all that much over 18 holes because the course doesn't care how old you are, what your profession is, or your reason for competing. It's only about who earns the right to advance.

Austin Squires went to Ryle High School and then went on to play golf at the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated in 2019. After UC, Squires turned pro and he's been grinding on mini-tours and playing in Monday qualifiers.

"Monday qualifiers are such a different animal," Squires said. "They're usually played at easier golf courses ... it's usually a boat race. So you know on the front nine if you're not three or four under, I either gotta blitz the back nine or start making travel arrangements."

Squires knew going into Maketewah that the course would be difficult. There likely wouldn't be a lot of the really low scores like he's used to seeing as a professional.

"Even par, one under gets out because it's a grind," said Squires. "It was a lot of fun to be in that different headspace of like, 'I just want to par every hole.' Obviously, I'm going to try and birdie as many as I can, but if I par every hole I'm good with that."

Mason Witt's from Jamestown, Ohio. He grew up playing at Jasper Hills Golf Club and just finished his freshman season at Xavier.

Monday, in Witt's first attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open, he shot even-par to advance to sectionals, and he needed to survive a playoff to do it.

Because only the top nine (and two alternates) earn a spot in the next round of qualifying, the six golfers who shot even par on Monday had to return at the end of the day and battle in a playoff for the last five spots.

"It was a really cool moment for me because I was the youngest guy in the playoff by five years at least," said Witt, 19. "I was definitely the guy everyone expected not to make it out. And then to be able to make it out was a huge relief."

Two of the golfers Witt made it out of the playoff with were 37-year-old Casey Spiess and 53-year-old Dave Bahr.

Spiess is from St. Louis but his wife's from Cincinnati, so he calls the Queen City home now. He's tried to qualify for the U.S. Open roughly 10 times, but Monday was the first time he's advanced out of local qualifying.

The morning after he did, Spiess had an early flight for his day job in healthcare sales.

Making it into the playoff was something Spiess hadn't experienced before.

"It was pretty cool and nerve-wracking," Spiess said. "It's not life or death for me. I've got a healthy kid at home, a great wife and I keep reminding myself of that, but it was nerve-wracking. I wanted to get through."

Bahr's the head professional at Maketewah. He's played probably 20 times in local qualifying. This was his sixth time making it out to sectionals, but he's never been able to advance to the U.S. Open. His motivation is to represent his club and its members, and he has to do that against guys a lot younger than him.

"It's a little intimidating," Bahr said. "I played with Victor (Caliguri). He's a senior at Elder and he's going to Eastern Michigan next year. But he was out-driving me by I don't know, at least 50 yards on every hole."

But, as Bahr pointed out, the way Maketewah's set up with the rough long and tricky pin placements on already challenging greens, gives guys like him a fighting chance.

"You gotta kind of plot your way around a little bit more than some other golf courses. So it gives guys like me a chance to make it," Bahr said.

And that's really what Monday was all about – the pursuit of a challenge and the chase that comes with a dream.

"I thought that was a perfect picture of what U.S. Open qualifying is," Squires said. "Anybody and everybody has a chance to do it."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati golfers advance at Maketewah for a spot in the U.S. Open