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Teeing off on a dream in Norton
 Plainville resident Tom Johnson, who has battled health issues for years, tees off on the third hole at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton during the U.S. Open local qualifying tournament on Monday. Despite cool temperatures and gusty winds, he was excited to be playing the course. (Staff photo by Tom Maguire)
Top Headlines And Monday may have been far from a postcard-perfect day for mid-May, with temperatures in the mid-40s and winds gusting up to 30 mph. But Tom Johnson was smiling from ear to ear. Johnson, who just recently moved from Rhode Island to Plainville, was at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, one of 97 golfers competing in a local qualifying tournament that will eventually allow some the chance to compete against Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the world's golfing greats at the U.S. Open June 12-15 at Torrey Pines Country Club in San Diego. The passion to play golf with the best was on full display at TPC Boston. Many golfers wore winter woolen hats and frequently blew in their hands to retain some feeling in their fingers.  There was a long wait to tee off on the second hole as golfers try to stay warm on the bridge between the first and second hole. US Open Qualifying round at the TPC Boston in Norton. (Staff photo by Tom Maguire)
Few complained. A chance to play in golf's Super Bowl was all they needed for inspiration."Hey, it's a pipe dream to get a tee time in the U.S. Open," said Keith Allcock of South Attleboro, a Bishop Feehan High School grad, 1995 Attleboro Area Golf Association Open winner and pro at Firefly Country Club in Seekonk. "That's why we're all here." There are literally thousands of golfers from across the country with the same pipe dream. The United States Golf Association, which stages the U.S. Open, holds more than 100 local qualifying tournaments in May where up to 10,000 golfers compete. All have a handicap of 1.4 or less, making them among the elite golfers at any local country club. Many of the younger golfers at TPC Boston on Monday had a legitimate opportunity to make it to the next round, a 36-hole sectional tournament in early June. These are up-and-coming players like Plainville's Jim Renner, who competes in a minor league tours in the South and has had some exposure to the PGA Tour. Renner, 24, played at the PGA Tour's Pods Championship in March and posted a 71 on Monday, low score for the day and one of seven golfers in Norton who will move on to the sectionals. Others are like Johnson, a very good golfer by anyone's standards but one who has never crossed over into the level of a touring pro. But Johnson considers the U.S. Open local qualifying tournament one of the highlights of his year. Monday was the 20th time he has teed it up in a local qualifier, despite the fact that he has never advanced to the sectionals. After battling health issues for years, Johnson, at 44, felt privileged just to be out on the course. "I've only been playing for four weeks" due to his health and the slow New England spring, Johnson said. "Hey, if I can make 18 pars today, I figure I've got a pretty good chance. If not, I gave it a try. "Either way, it's a great day," he said as he trudged up the first fairway on his way to shooting an 80 and missing the cut by six strokes. While Allcock - who posted a 79, five strokes off the cut - would love a chance for a tee time in the U.S. Open, he said he was competing in his 10th local qualifier as a way to improve his game. The U.S. Open is regarded as the sport's toughest test, and qualifying tourneys like the one at TPC Boston present golfers with some of the most difficult shots they will face all year. "After you play this, it makes the rest of the tournaments you play seem easier," Allcock said, a remark that drew a chuckle and a knowing nod from golfers standing nearby. Peter Bakker was saying things similar to Allcock, but in a much different accent. A native of South Africa, golf has carried him across the Atlantic to the mini-tours of Florida and other Southern states and now as a teaching pro in Exeter, N.H. In his mid-40s, Bakker has a goal of improving his golf game so that at age 50 he could attempt to qualify for the Champions Tour. But Bakker, who eventually finished with an 88, said there was a more basic reason why his long golfing journey brought him to Norton on Monday. "Once you've competed at a high level like this, it's in your blood," he said. MIKE KIRBY can be reached at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.
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