Maccario, Francoeur advance to US Open final qualifying stage

May 26—It wasn't too long ago that Nick Maccario and Chris Francoeur were dominating the local high school golf circuit as members of St. John's Prep.

Some years later, it's safe to say that the two talented linksmen have taken their games to the next level.

Both have already recorded numerous impressive victories at the state amateur level; now, they'll have a realistic opportunity to earn a spot in this summer's coveted US Open field.

Maccario, a 2010 SJP graduate, and Francoeur, who wrapped up his Eagles' career in the fall of 2016, each moved on to the tournament's final qualifying stage with stellar performances earlier this month. Maccario fired an even par 70 at a local qualifier at Southampton Country Club on Long Island; Francoeur carded a 4-under par 68 before winning a 5-for-3 playoff in another local qualifier held at Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Kentucky.

Both Bay Staters now advance to the 36-hole final qualifier, which will take place across 11 sites around the country in early June. Should they finish among the top golfers in their respective fields, they'd be guaranteed a spot in the 122nd US Open, which will be held at The Country Club in nearby Brookline this June 16-19.

"To be completely honest I wasn't even going to do it this year and then a Mass Golf guy who's a competitor was like, 'Why wouldn't you try? It's in your home state,'" Maccario said. "I'm happy I signed up and now I just have to have some of the best 36 holes of golf in my career."

"It's pretty rare that you shoot 4-under and don't automatically move on," admitted Francoeur, who played even par golf for his first 12 holes before ripping off four birdies over his last six holes to book a spot in the playoff. He proceeded to cash two more birdie putts in the playoff to officially punch his final qualifier ticket.

"It was good to get through and play well when I needed to," he added. "I feel like my game's in a really good spot."

Francoeur — who recently wrapped up a graduate year at Louisville and will remain in the area until moving back home this summer —birdied the par-4 13th, the par-5 14th, the par-4 16th and the par-5 18th to narrowly make the playoff cut. Because the field was so competitive he knew he had to make a move down the home stretch to secure his spot.

"I was playing pretty steady through 12 holes but putts weren't dropping," he admitted. "I made a nice putt on 13 to get to 1-under and then I just tried to get into a zone where I was hitting every shot the best I possibly could."

Francoeur now plans to play his final qualifier at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club & Wedgwood Golf and Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, on June 6. It's about a two hour drive from Louisville and boasts one of the largest fields of the 11 qualifiers.

Francoeur's mindset is that with more participants, more golfers will advance, giving him a better chance to earn his spot at the US Open.

"It kind of depends where you go. Last year I went to New York and they only took about four or five golfers," explained Francoeur. "This one has a lot of guys playing and they take the top 15 or 16. The fields going to be very strong, basically like a pro event; I believe (PGA stars) Rickie Fowler and Jason Day were there for their qualifier last year. I'm still going to have to play really well but having 15 spots rather than four makes a difference."

"Everything with my game feels pretty solid right now, so hopefully I can keep on the grind and have a good day when the qualifier comes," he added. "My putter's started to improve a lot since I got down here; we have really good facilities where I can work on my game every day and the coaches are really good."

Should he advance, Francoeur plans to turn pro immediately with his first event coming via the Open. If not, he'll finish out the summer as an amateur and likely go pro shortly thereafter.

"It would be huge," Francoeur said of making the US Open field. "Playing for a Major with all the best players in the world would be a great way to start out my professional career."

Maccario, meanwhile, has no plans of turning pro any time soon. The 2020 Richard D. Haskell Mass Golf Player of the Year holds a full time job while still finding time to terrorize golf courses with regularity.

He's fresh off a victory at the Norfolk County Classic, a Mass Golf event where he shot a ridiculous 65-65-130 (-10). That came just days after his gritty outing in the local qualifier where Maccario battled extremely windy conditions in an early morning round to fire the even par 70.

Now, he'll head to a familiar track in Roswell, Georgia — Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course) — for his final qualifier attempt.

"I know the course well, not that that assures me of making the US Open, but it's just nice to know that I have some local knowledge there," said Maccario. "So that's my first choice; we'll see. You have to put in three courses and that was my top one. It'll probably be about 80 (golfers) for four or five spots."

Maccario has tried for the US Open twice before. Last year, he came up one stroke shy of gaining an alternate spot and the other time he had one blow-up hole (a 9) and finished with a round of 78 to fall off the leaderboard.

In any case, he's eager and excited for the opportunity this spring. Maccario lives all but 10 miles away from The Country Club and has played the course on multiple occasions for amateur events.

"To say it would be the highlight of my life and my career would be an understatement," he said. "To do it in my home state? That would be pretty incredible. But unlike other things that I've been involved in I'm actually not trying to not think about it, if that makes sense. It's more about embracing the opportunity; you're going to the qualifier to say 'I want to go to the US Open,' and that's the goal."

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IN THEIR BAG

*A look inside the golf bags of Nick Maccario and Chris Francoeur*

Nick Maccario

Driver: Titleist TSi3

Woods: Titleist TSi2 (3-wood and 5-wood)

Utility: Titleist T200 3-iron

Irons: Titleist 620 CB (4 and 5 iron); Titleist 620 MB (6-9 irons)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (46, 52 & 58 degree)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T Teryllium

Chris Francoeur

Driver: Titleist TSi2

Woods: Ping G425 3-wood

Utility: Titleist U-500 3-iron

Irons: Titleist CB (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (46, 50, 54 & 58 degree)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2

Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.