Honesdale's own Eric Williams plays his first-ever United States Senior Open Championship

STEVENS POINT, WI — Wayne County’s own Eric Williams lived out a lifelong dream this week in the world of competitive golf.

A Honesdale High School graduate who’s been a dominant player on the local links scene for decades, Williams teed it up at the US Senior Open for the very first time.

The 2023 event was held at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point (WI) and featured only the best American players over the age of 50. Williams made the field by finishing second at a qualifier held May 31 at Indiana Country Club.

That stellar showing catapulted Williams into the nation’s premier senior tourney, one of just 166 golfers so honored.

“This experience has been everything I’d hoped for and more!” Eric exclaimed. “From hanging out with guys I grew up watching on TV to playing in front of all these fans. It’s just been crazy.”

Sadly for local fans, Williams struggled a bit on several of SentryWorld’s toughest holes and just missed the cut. Nevertheless, playing at the US Senior Open is one of the most exhilarating experiences of his links career.

“I’m sad it’s over,” Eric admitted. “But from Monday when I got here until today, I wouldn’t change a thing. This has absolutely been a dream come true.”

Setting the stage

Eric is the son of Irv and Cindy Williams. He attended Wayne Highlands schools and graduated HHS in 1991.

Williams enjoyed a brilliant varsity golf career, winning two Jackman Memorial Tournament titles and a pair of District 2 individual championships.

After graduation, Williams headed off to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to continue his links quest at the NCAA level. Once there, though, he quickly realized that college just wasn’t for him.

Williams returned home and embarked on a highly successful business career. He also devoted countless hours to honing his golf game, playing amateur events all over the region.

It wasn’t long before Williams decided to take his game to the next level, turning pro in 1992. He spent the next eight years pursuing the ultimate PGA dream before finally regaining his amateur status and starting another exciting chapter of his life.

Over the course of the next two decades, Williams has used Honesdale Golf Club as his home base. He’s dominated multiple annual events at HGC, from the Member-Guest, to the Memorial, and the Men’s Club Championship.

In addition, Williams has twice played in the United States Amateur Open, won the Art Wall Jr. Memorial, and been named Anthracite Golf Association Player of the Year.

It’s a dazzling resume that speaks to his love of the game, determination and years of hard work … a resume which now includes an invitation to the US Senior Open.

“Eric is one of the best golfers in the state,” said Hall of Fame Coach and longtime HGC spokesman Bob Simons. “He understands the game extremely well.

“I think one of Eric’s best attributes is his course management skills. He’s a very good all-around player who hits the ball long and straight. Eric is kind of a quiet and humble guy. I’m really happy to see him achieving this kind of success.”

Wayne Stephens agrees. Eric’s best friend had the exciting opportunity to caddie for him at SentryWorld this week.

“Having the chance to loop for Eric, growing up together and playing the game with him for 40 years has been an honor,” Wayne said. “The support we received from home has been overwhelming. What a great community we live in!”

Chance of a lifetime

Williams arrived on the scene at Stevens Point Monday morning.

After settling in, he completed the lengthy registration process, played a couple of practice rounds and then stepped onto the first tee at SentryWorld.

It was 1:40 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Day 1 of the 2023 United States Senior Open. Williams strode to that first tee box along with his caddie and two playing partners: Mitch Lowe and Laird Small.

Lowe is 56-years-old and hails from the Pacific Northwest. He attended the University of the Pacific and is currently head coach of the women’s golf team at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Small is 66 and is currently a PGA Master Instructor at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy. He attended the University of Cal-Irvine and once finished second at the NCAA Golf Championships.

Williams took a deep breath, unleashed a big drive and parred the 459-yard dogleg left. He followed that up with a pair of bogeys, but bounced back with his first birdie of the tournament at the fourth.

Unfortunately, Williams ran into trouble several more times during his first round. He posted three double-bogeys and a triple en route to an 18-hole total of 84.

“The US Open has a tendency to expose your weaknesses and challenge your strengths,” Eric said. “You really have to stay away from the big number, but it’s just so hard to do on a course like this. It’s brutal.”

After the opening round, Williams and Stephens put their heads together to formulate a game plan for Friday.

“Knowing we could better ourselves on Day 2 and accomplishing that was the perfect ending,” Wayne said. “The atmosphere we were in was just incredible.”

Williams did indeed turn things around that second day. This time, he carded a pair of birdies and cut down on the “big” numbers. Williams battled his way to a 78, bringing his tourney total to 162.

As the afternoon wore on, it became increasingly clear that Williams wasn’t going to be around for the weekend. As it turned out, the cutline came in at +9.

“This was all such an emotional experience for me,” Eric said. “Like I said, I’m sad that it’s over, but a small part of me is glad too.

“One of the things I think I did well was handling everything that goes on in an arena you’re not used to.”

Stephens concurs.

“It amazed me the pressure on the player and caddie at a tournament as big as this,” Wayne said. “Eric really rose to the challenge and the shots he pulled off were incredible.”

Looking ahead

Williams ended up with a final score of +20 across 36 holes.

He recorded three birdies and 17 pars against 10 bogeys, five doubles and one triple. Those numbers aren’t at all surprising on a course as tough as SentryWorld, though, as only four golfers managed to break par on Day 1.

“That’s an incredibly tough course,” Coach Simons said. “I think the improvement we saw from Eric from the first day to the second says a lot about him as a golfer. He’s one of the top-ranked players in the state for a reason.”

Regardless of his place in the final standings, the 50-year-old Williams is happy with his debut on the Senior Tour’s biggest stage. He’s also looking forward to a packed schedule the rest of the summer locally and statewide.

“Quite honestly, I’m pleased with how I played,” Eric said. “I’m going to be crazy busy through the middle of August. I have a ton of tournaments coming up.”

Finally, Williams would like to express his undying gratitude to family, friends and fans who came out to cheer him on.

“The support was off the charts,” Eric said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for all the messages, calls and texts.

“Honesdale is my home and the way the community supports either a high school sports team or someone like me playing in the US Senior Open is what makes this small town so special.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: HHS Class of 1991 star Eric Williams qualifies for US Senior Open