COVERAGE: Barbaree Jr.’s Made Cut Opens Doors, Emotions

OAKMONT, Pa. — On a rainy Saturday morning at Oakmont Country Club, with fans not yet permitted in the gates and with just friends and family supporting, one putt determined whether Phillip Barbaree Jr.’s U.S. Open journey would continue.

“Oakmont’s tough when there’s perfect weather and then when it was raining sideways last night it was extremely tough,” Barbaree said after completing his suspended second round.

“I was actually happy to get out of the rain a little bit and be able to come out here in the morning with no rain. That part was great, but it wasn’t easy sleeping knowing exactly what I had to do.”

Barbaree’s journey started by winning the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur and was making his second U.S. Open start after missing the cut at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.

The tee shot on his ninth hole, the final of his second round, found the fairway and his approach found the green 32 feet away. His fate would be determined by a five-foot putt for par. After four backoffs, Barbaree settled in and stroked the putt.

Indeed, Barbaree’s putt found the hole, after which he immediately demonstratively pumped his right and then both fists. Barbaree is 26th on the PGA Tour Americas points and could play himself into Korn Ferry status, but regardless, this made cut will allow him to skip a stage of PGA Tour Q-School.

As family members pumped their fists and hugged, Barbaree had one person he was seeking, and he did not have to look very far as his wife Chloe Lettau is his caddie this week as she has been for nearly a year.

She told reporters after Saturday’s third round that she always tells him how much an honor it is to be on the bag. The arrangement started as an ask for a couple of events and see feels it works because she is there for moral support.

“It was a lot of emotion, a lot of pent-up emotion and hard work,” stated Barbaree of the make. “The people around me that have helped me get to this point, a lot of them are here. Just to be able to do that for them as well was a relief but also very exciting.”

Barbaree has been through this moment before as the PGA Tour Americas has had plenty of weather delays, but the delay reminded him of his final U.S. Open qualifying site at Emerald Dunes Golf Club, which is located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Phillip Barbaree, Jr. and his wife/caddie Chloe. (Zachary Weiss/Pittsburgh Golf Now)

Golf would not be completed on that Monday, resulting in a Tuesday finish, during which he shot 69 and then backed it up with a 64, sharing medalist honors in a field which included Pittsburgh’s own Neal Shipley.

Though that site was Barbaree’s fourth choice, those days really served him well Saturday morning.

“Having done that so recently, coming back out and being able to play this morning, all of that I think helped prepare me for today,” he observed. “At some point, you kind of have to embrace it and say ‘This is kind of the cards I’ve been dealt,’ and try to go about it the best way I can.”

Despite a bogey on the massive par-3 eighth hole to start his day, putting him right on the 7-over cutline, he held his nerve with the crucial putt on the uphill par-4 ninth.

“It means a lot,” beamed Barbaree of the accomplishment. “Anytime you can skip a stage it’s very important because Q-School is hard. To be able to skip a stage means a lot. I’ll be going to Canada coming up for the PGA Tour Americas, so this is just a great way to build on what we’ve been doing. I’m just excited to play these next couple of days.”

Between making his family and supporters proud, finishing what he was unable to do in 2018 and doing so with a largely restless night knowing two of Oakmont’s more difficult holes awaited him, Barbaree did himself proud.

Even going as a solo at 9:12 Saturday morning for his third round, he knows he will get to play two more rounds at one of the most challenging and legendary courses in the country.

“I knew where I stood last night and so didn’t sleep a whole lot, but whenever I got up there on the green, I was hoping to have a little shorter par putt,” he admitted. “I tried to take my time on it, but at some point, you kind of have to let it go and whatever happens happens. Thankfully this time it went in, so I’m very thankful for that.”