Flint golfer Willie Mack III hopes for 'special week' after qualifying for U.S. Open

Flint native Willie Mack III will live out another of his golf dreams this weekend as a member of the field for the 124th U.S. Open, at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina.

Mack grew up watching and dreaming of playing in Michigan's flagship USGA event, the Buick Open (in Grand Blanc), and eventually played in its replacement, the Rocket Mortgage Classic (in Detroit). Growing up, the PGA Tour coming to play in his backyard felt like an equivalent of the sport's four major tournaments. Now, he will be able to compare the feeling after he qualified for his first-ever major last week after winning a three-person playoff in a USGA qualifier.

"For me, it was always the Buick Open," Mack said last week. "I just always wanted to play the Buick Open. I feel like that was a major for me at that time and to be able to come home to Michigan and play in the Rocket Mortgage a few years ago and having that be the first cut made on the PGA Tour in my hometown, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Hopefully, I can go out there next week and do the same."

Mack was the fifth and final qualifier from the USGA event hosted at The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Florida, after he finished tied for fifth at 3-under in the 36-hole tournament. He shot a 71 and then a 70 and then beat out Brendan Valdes and Thomas Ponder to formally qualify for his first major.

He was prepared for the high-intensity situation despite already enduring the 36-hole qualifying, nicknamed "Golf's Longest Day," because he played and won a playoff in a tournament last month at Clovernook Country Club in Cincinnati. This time around, Mack sank par putts on both the playoff holes while Ponder double-bogeyed the first and Valdes bogeyed the second.

"I had a six-man playoff three or four weeks ago so being able to get through that playoff kind of gave me the confidence to get through this playoff," Mack said. "If I didn't get past it, it wouldn't be life or death, but you always want to get to the U.S. Open. It being my first major is definitely going to be exciting."

Pinehurst will be a new challenge for Mack, 35, who has never played the No. 1 course before this week. It is the second time that the Donald Ross-designed course in North Carolina has hosted the U.S. Open in the past decade and the third time this century. Mack, who is competing in his eighth career PGA event, believes the layout can work in his favor after talking with people who've played the course.

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"They said it fits my game well for sure, gotta hit it in the fairway," Mack said. "I kind of like Donald Ross courses, (it's) kind of like a bowl (with) everything running off so you gotta be precise with your irons and your wedges. Short game has to be on point. So hopefully everything can come together next week all at one time and I can have a special week."

His confidence is high entering the tournament, thanks to a streak of good outings dating back to the 2023 season after he lost his card to play on the Korn Ferry Tour when he missed 10 cuts in 24 tour events.

Despite the setback, Mack said he remained confident in his game by recognizing that a linear path as a professional golfer can be difficult to attain. He plans to keep that same mindset at Pinehurst despite the hordes of crowds, TV cameras and attention. He even reached out to other players who have been in his shoes in the past for advice on how to handle the new scenery.

"You don't learn unless you fail," Mack said. "In golf, you fail a lot. So just learning from those mistakes in those failures that I've been through, I think it really helps you for moments like this when you really need it. And it can honestly be life-changing.

"We saw what Michael Block did at the PGA Championship. I've talked to him a couple times since I qualified on Monday. He gave me a little advice just to go out there and play my game. I belong out there and just keep that mindset of playing your game and do what you can do."

For now, Mack is not scheduled to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club from June 27-30. He said he has not received an exemption for the tournament but he will be playing June 22-23 at Detroit Golf Club in the John Shippen tournament, a tournament for top Black golfers in the country, for a chance to qualify for the field.

But he'll worry about that in a little while; this week, he's competing for the U.S. Open trophy and a share of the $20 million purse available this weekend at Pinehurst.

"Hopefully, I can go out there next week and show everybody that I belong and it can turn into something great," Mack said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Flint golfer Willie Mack III hopes for 'special week' at U.S. Open