Written By Lowell Weil ’18
The US Open is perhaps the greatest stage in golf. Although the week was capped off by an incredible performance by Brooks Koepka, I was lucky enough to experience Erin Hills give days earlier from a caddy’s perspective while carrying Brandon Wu’s (Deerfield Class of 2015) bag in the practice rounds. Brandon plays golf at Stanford and was one shot away from qualifying for the US Open. But, because he was an alternate, he was allowed to play practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday and received the same treatment as players in the field. After
a couple of texts and arrangements, Brandon had asked me to caddy for him. Our experience at the US Open was nothing short of incredible. On the range, Brandon hit next to players such as Dustin Johnson, John Rahm, Jason Dufner, and Jordan Spieth. To make it even better, we were able to play our first practice round with Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose. It was awesome to see the preparation of these professionals and what it takes to make it at the highest level. The opportunity for Brandon to play in practice rounds and be around that atmosphere will give him more motivation to get back to the US Open. I was just happy to step back and soak up my time there. It’s safe to say that our inside-the-ropes experience is one that neither Brandon nor I will ever forget!
