OAKMONT, Pa. – The sight of his ball hanging on the lip of the 15th hole, agonizingly close but failing to drop for a bogey, felt like a cruel twist. It was as if Oakmont Country Club was intentionally revealing its formidable challenge to George Duangmanee on a day when his golf game seemed to have abandoned him.
Making his debut at the U.S. Open, Duangmanee recorded his fourth double bogey of the round on the lengthy par-4. This followed a disastrous sequence eleven holes earlier on the fourth green, where a difficult struggle resulted in a triple bogey, contributing to an astonishing front-nine score of 47.
Achieving a nine-hole score approaching 40 at this level is rare and concerning; a score nearing 50 is almost unheard of, a true anomaly. Yet, this is precisely the kind of severe test that Oakmont is known for. Players arriving with high hopes of showcasing their skills are frequently brought back to reality by a course notoriously designed to inflict frustration. Notably, three of the four highest single-round scores recorded at the U.S. Open in the last two decades have occurred right here.
However, the core appeal of the U.S. Open, as USGA CEO Mike Whan often emphasizes, lies in its inclusivity. Anyone, regardless of background, can attempt to qualify and compete alongside the world`s elite – be it a 17-year-old prodigy, a weekend dentist, or a 23-year-old pursuing a professional golf career, like Duangmanee from Fairfax, Virginia.
Duangmanee turned professional in 2024 after graduating from UVA and made his initial PGA Tour appearance in May 2025 at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina. There, he successfully made the cut by carding two rounds under par, finishing the tournament at 5 over.
For a player holding only conditional status on PGA Tour Americas, earned through qualifying school, this performance served as validation that he belonged at the professional level. But the U.S. Open presented a challenge of an entirely different magnitude.
“I feel like this was the biggest stage of golf I`ve ever played in,” Duangmanee commented.
Duangmanee had delivered arguably two of the finest rounds of his life simply to earn the opportunity to walk Oakmont`s challenging fairways. At Springfield Country Club in Ohio on June 2, during the U.S. Open qualifier where many seasoned pros faltered, Duangmanee carded rounds of 68 and 67 to secure his spot.
This sequence perfectly encapsulates the sport`s unpredictable nature: shoot 5 under par to qualify for the U.S. Open, only to face the prospect of an 86 the first day and a score potentially nearing 90 the next.
“I knew it was going to be a hard test coming in,” Duangmanee stated. “I didn`t think it was going to be that hard.”
An visibly tired Duangmanee seemed surprised when a USGA official informed him reporters wished to speak with him. He had just endured a grueling five-hour battle with the course, suffering a decisive defeat. Yet, his perspective revealed a different outcome.
“I`m really positive about just being here and excited for the confidence I can get from it,” Duangmanee shared. “It`s a little bit intimidating being around people you watch on TV every week, but I`m trying to learn as much as how they practice now, how they warm up and everything. So I`ve been keeping an eye on how the best in the world do it, so I`m going to use that going forward.”
Between holes on the back nine, Duangmanee allowed himself moments to relax. He chatted with his playing partner, Austen Truslow, drank water, and ate a grape jelly Uncrustable. While his score was suffering, his demeanor remained resilient.
“Going into today, I just wanted to have fun out there,” Duangmanee said. “I knew I was kind of out of it after my first round, so I just tried to enjoy the experience as much as possible, try to keep my head up, and I didn`t really get down on myself. I just kept going, and I was just happy to be here.”
The underlying frustration was undoubtedly present. When he failed to get the ball out of the deep fescue onto the green on the 17th, he dropped his head in clear disappointment. His subsequent shot from the rough wasn`t much better, but Duangmanee simply continued forward. Each shot was approached with his customary routine. On a day when Oakmont dismissed players left and right, including some top-ranked professionals, Duangmanee chose to persevere.
His tee shot on the 18th, an errant drive that found a fairway bunker thanks to a driver that had troubled him throughout the day, set the stage for determining his final score. Duangmanee played out of the bunker, leaving himself a challenging wedge shot that flew past the hole. His downhill putt for par lacked pace and slid well past the cup.
The dream of competing in the U.S. Open had brought not only Duangmanee but his entire family to Oakmont. Both his parents, his brother (a junior on the UVA golf team), his grandfather, his girlfriend, and other relatives had traveled to Pittsburgh to support him. Whatever score he posted was secondary to their presence.
“It does mean a lot to have people who want to be out here and watching me play golf and supporting me,” Duangmanee stated.
On a warm, humid Pittsburgh afternoon, with the stands around the 18th green (which would be packed in two days) sparsely filled, Duangmanee carefully lined up his bogey putt. He faced a 6-foot, 7-inch attempt.
He studied the line intently, as if it were a putt to make the cut, and confidently rolled it into the hole.
As Duangmanee walked towards his caddie, a smile creased his face. His score of 89 is tied for the second-highest single-round score recorded at a U.S. Open in the last 20 years.
“Just making it here was a big accomplishment for me,” Duangmanee reflected. “It proves that what I`m doing, the hard work I`m putting in practice, is paying off. Being able to compete against the best guys in the world. It`s really where I want to be.”
Oakmont might be sending Duangmanee home with a scorecard reading plus-35, but he feels far from leaving the experience behind. He invested significant effort to reach this point and isn`t ready to simply move on just yet.
“I`m definitely going to take at least three or four days off and just enjoy it with the family,” he confirmed. “I think I will stay around. We`re already here, and it`s the U.S. Open.”