A University of Florida sophomore and Tallahassee native was living out many golfers’ dreams as he prepared to tee it up in his first major championship last week at Pinehurst in the U.S. Open.
Parker Bell, an amateur golfer, has already accomplished something special just by earning a tee time. Having to go through a grueling 36-round qualifier at Dallas Athletic Club in Texas on May 20, Bell shot 70-69, advancing to his first U.S. Open appearance.
Bell worked his way into the Gators' lineup and had some good results down the stretch of the season. This included a strong performance at the NCAA regionals. He said that helped give him the confidence to advance through qualifying for his U.S. Open debut.
"Earlier this semester, I was like our seven or eight guy in the lineup," Bell admitted. "I didn't really know what the future would hold, but I've really worked as hard as I possibly could since then and tried to take my game to the next level."
All of his hard work is paying off as he played in the Open last Thursday. While he knew scoring will be difficult on Pinehurst's challenging layout, the Gator felt well prepared thanks to the advice of coaches and Gator alums who have made it to the PGA Tour.
Their message? Stick to the same routine and course management fundamentals that fueled his late-season comeback.
"They just told me to try to treat it like any other tournament, same routine on every shot," Bell said. "And just try to have fun with it."
He wasn’t alone on the green as his cousin, Thomas Lawson, was doubling as his caddie. While Lawson, a Florida State University junior, might seem like an odd fit to caddie for the Gator, he is all into Bell’s success.
Lawson said he even went as far as to drop a course and postpone his MCAT — all to prepare for his cousin's success on the course.
After his practice round on the course he said he felt well-prepared from his collegiate experience playing tough tracks and learning course management skills.
Along with Tiger Woods, Bell missed the cut and finished +7 after the second round.