Three Wilson Brothers In Same U.S. Open Qualifier At Home Course

By Anthony Spaulding New Jersey Herald

Usually, the three brothers from Green Township would try to work on their respective games while at the same time trying to win bragging rights over each other for the day.

Next Tuesday, they will be doing that again, but this time they will be playing a round in the U.S. Open local qualifier at Panther Valley G. & C.C. in an ultimate attempt to make the 116th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.

"It's a pretty awesome to have three Wilsons playing in the same qualifier for the U.S. Open at the same course," Pat said in Monday night in a telephone interview. "This is the biggest qualifier you can play in outside of the sectional qualifier or a PGA Tour Monday open qualifier. This is great and we're very excited for it."

"It's really cool," Cory said Tuesday morning in a phone interview. "We've played at Panther Valley all of our lives because we are members there. We've played against each other before, but never in a tournament. So, we're all looking forward to it."

"It's really special," Tyler said Tuesday morning in a phone interview. "There are probably not many other siblings who have played in the same stage. There are three of us and we are playing on the same level. It's rare."

The Wilsons have always been standouts when it comes to golf. Pat and Cory were teammates on the New Jersey State Golf Association squad that win the 2013 Stoddard Trophy at Stanwych, Conn.

Pat, the oldest of the three at 25 years old, is a professional golfer who became the first Sussex County player to play in the U.S. Open last year. He also competed on the PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

Pat also had a successful amateur career in which he won the Met Amateur Championship, recorded four top-10 finishes at the NJSGA Amateur Championship, qualified twice for the U.S. Open sectional qualifier, placed in the top 10 twice at the Metropolitan Golf Association Championship and placed once in the top 10 at the NJSGA State Open.

In addition, he was a two-time sectional champion, an SCIL Festival champion and a three-time Tournament of Champions qualifier for Newton High School, where he graduated in 2009. He went on to have successful college stints at NCAA Division III Susquehanna University and NCAA Division I St. John's University.

As for Cory, who is 22, he is a senior at Seton Hall University, where he played golf all four years on the NCAA Division I level. He also had a nice career for Newton from 2009-12, as he was a TOC qualifier as a freshman, a four-time state qualifier and a Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament champion as a senior.

In regards to Tyler, who is 16, he is a sophomore at Newton right now and has already had a great career for the Braves. He became an HWS champion on May 2 and has made the sectional tournament in each of his first two seasons.

Next Tuesday, they will be trying to get to Oakmont for a chance to play in one of golf's four major championships by earning a top-seven finish at the local qualifier and then grab a top-four finish at a sectional qualifier.

For Pat, he wants to prove that his run last year to the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay wasn't just a one-hit wonder. Last year, Pat tied for fourth at a U.S. Open local qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, where he wound up advancing to the sectional round via a sudden-death playoff, and he tied for third at the sectional qualifier that took place at both Old Oaks Country Club and Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. to get to the Open, where he did not make the cut.

For Cory, he wants to play well enough in one of his final competitive rounds of his career. He has admitted that after this year, he is going to pursue a career in business.

For Tyler, he wants to use this as a learning experience for the bright future he already has ahead of him.

Though they have their individual goals, they want each other to do well and will try to help each other as best as they can.

"Obviously, I want to do the best I can personally, but I want them to play well," Pat said. "It's important to pass on the experiences and I think because they went out there with me last year, with Cory being my caddy and Tyler as a spectator, I think they saw what it was like for me on the grandest stage.

"Pat has definitely shown me a lot and I have learned a lot through his success and his failures," Cory said. "I have realized I am not as good as Pat is, so this is the wind down for me. But, I want to try to qualify and I want to help Pat and Tyler so they can keep going."

"I know they are older than me but I hope they can play great," Tyler said. "They've been my role models and I will do anything I can for them."

Another thing that they believe will help them achieve their goals is their familiarity with Panther Valley.

"We've been on the course a million times," Pat said. "It's going to be easier in terms of knowing what shots to hit and where to miss. Hopefully, it will feel second nature to us on Tuesday."

"It's challenging, but when you have played at a golf course so many times, it gets easier whether you are playing good or not," Cory said. "It's definitely an advantage."

Ideally, Pat, Cory and Tyler would all like to finish in the top seven, which they all said "would be an amazing" feat. And even if one of them gets in, they said they would be happy.

Regardless of their results, they are going to enjoy this event, which will be a full family affair considering their father, Richard, will be Tyler's caddy.

"This is a great story for us," Pat said. "This will always be something we can look back on and talk about."

"We'll remember this forever," Cory said. "It's not too often we play in the same tournament, let alone play this tournament at a course we played so much. We'll cherish this."

"This is something we will never forget," Tyler said. "All of three of us are looking to have a great time playing."