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The U.S. Open is the national championship of American golf and, consequently, many golfers grow up aspiring to play in the event.
That is not the case for former Charlotte 49ers golfer Trevor Murphy, who will play next week in the prestigious tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Murphy secured one of 79 available spots in the Open field Monday when he shot 70-68–138 in sectional qualifying in Purchase, N.Y.
Golf hasn't always been his sport of choice. Murphy, who grew up in the Vermont mountains, far from golf meccas such as Florida and California, is the son of an elite skier. The younger Murphy was no skiing slouch. either. As a member of the U.S. Junior Ski Team, he competed in five Junior Olympics.
“Growing up, I always dreamed of skiing in World Cup races, even through high school,” Murphy said.
Then a skiing accident changed his life.
Murphy was on the slopes preparing for a competition in France when he took a fall, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He was forced to give up skiing and find another activity to channel his competitive nature.
He found that activity in golf.
“(It) had been a hobby of mine since I was 13,” Murphy said. “I always loved playing golf, but I didn't start playing competitively until I finished high school.”
After high school graduation, he enrolled at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he was named the Merit Point Winner and 2003-2004 player of the year on the International Junior Golf Tour.
After a year on that tour, Murphy was still looking for a college to attend.
“I really wanted to play college golf,” said Murphy, and when former Charlotte coach Jamie Green (now the coach at Duke) offered him a spot on the 49ers' team as a walk-on in 2004, Murphy accepted.
He lettered four years at Charlotte and was an integral part of four NCAA tournament teams, two of which finished in the top 10 (tied for third in 2007, and tied for eighth in 2008).
As a senior, Murphy was the only amateur to qualify for the 2008 PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Although he missed the cut by two strokes, he said he treasured the experience .
“It was surreal,” Murphy said. “There was so much support from the Charlotte area it was unbelievable.”
After his senior season, Murphy turned pro and moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. He joined the Gateway Tour, a developmental tour, and enjoyed success in his first season, winning one tournament and making the cut in 11 of 12 events.
While impressive, those successes were nothing compared to Monday when he qualified for the U.S. Open in between starts on the Gateway Tour.
“It feels like a dream,” Murphy said. “I've never even been to a U.S. Open as a spectator. I keep trying to picture how it will be.”
