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Nick Barrett, a 32-year-old UPS driver from Catonsville, qualified for the final qualifier of the 126th U.S. Open after shooting a 1-under 69. His birdie on the 18th hole secured his spot, avoiding a playoff for one of the qualifying berths.
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Nick Barrett left no doubt.
By finishing his round with a birdie on the 18th hole of a local qualifying event for the 126th U.S. Open at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, the 32-year-old UPS driver from Catonsville cemented his spot in a final qualifier.
Barrett shot a 1-under 69, tying for fourth place with Oliver Clark of Baltimore and Charlie Hanson of Manakin Sabot, Virginia. Francisco Perez of Hyattsville led the 132-player field with a 4-under 66, and Daniel Azallion of Okatie, South Carolina, and Chase Nevins of Great Falls, Virginia, tied for second place with a 2-under 68.
Barrett’s birdie on No. 18 lifted him from a group tied at even-par 70 and meant he had avoided a playoff with eight other golfers for one of seven coveted qualifying berths and two alternate spots. “Definitely making it interesting,” he quipped.
In his first nine holes, Barrett made eight pars and bogeyed the par-4, 430-yard second hole. He opened his second nine with a birdie on the par-4, 385-yard No. 10 and then added another birdie on the par-5, 507-yard No. 14.
But on the par-4, 366-yard 16th hole, Barrett shockingly three-putted from about 15 feet. Afterward, he said a birdie putt on the 15th that did not reach the hole influenced him to send his first putt on the 16th about four feet past the hole.
“I had this little breaker to the right for par, and I let it go,” he said. “I just missed it. Obviously bummed about that.”
On the par-3, 197-yard No. 17, Barrett dropped the ball about 12 feet from the hole, but missed the birdie putt. On the par-4, 427-yard No. 18, he laced his drive about 315 yards. “One of the better drives I’ve ever hit,” he said, and then hit a wedge from about 110 yards that ended with the ball about three feet from the hole.
A gallery of family and friends that swelled from 10 to 25 people cheered Barrett’s birdie. After completing his round, he told them, “Guys, I’m just going to bolt it to scoring. I’ll say hi to everybody when I get finished up.”
Barrett wasn’t being rude. He was ensuring that there would not be a repeat of June 2, when his attempt to qualify for the 125th U.S. Open ended prematurely because he was disqualified for failing to sign his scorecard in the allotted time after completing his first 18 holes at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville.
Julia Barrett, Nick’s wife, who walked the last eight holes while ferrying their five-month-old Benjamin in a personal carrier, described that moment as “tough.”
“He was on such a high at the end because he had just birdied 18,” she recalled. “So it was gut-wrenching to see him go through that. He took everything with grace, and I don’t think he will ever do that again.”
While Barrett said he had to forget about that three-putt bogey on No. 16, his father Don, who followed his son for the entire round, compared himself to a duck that looks composed but is furiously paddling its legs under the surface.
Nick Barrett is a 32-year-old UPS driver from Catonsville who qualified for the final qualifier of the 126th U.S. Open by shooting a 1-under 69.
Nick Barrett shot a score of 1-under 69 in the local qualifying event for the U.S. Open.
Nick Barrett finished tied for fourth place in the qualifying event.
Barrett secured his spot by making a birdie on the 18th hole, which allowed him to avoid a playoff for the qualifying berths.
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“I’ve seen him play so many times, but it’s still like watching him for the first time,” the elder Barrett said. “Just the excitement of him hitting good shots and the crowd he has here, it’s just amazing to watch. I’m a nervous wreck, but he’s so calm.”
Barrett advanced to the final qualifying round in 2023 and 2025, but said Wednesday felt as refreshing as the previous two times.
“This never gets old,” he said. “I love this. This is great. Just competitive golf in general is limited for me right now with work and stuff, but every opportunity that I get, I’m super grateful to be able to come out and play competitive golf.”
Julia Barrett said she was happy she could make it out to the course with Benjamin, who barely made a sound, which his mother interpreted as him taking a liking to golf.
“It’s always nice to watch him play,” she said. “This is what he loves. He doesn’t get to do it as much. So it’s nice to see him succeed.”
For final qualifying, golfers are asked to provide a list of the top three courses they would like to play on June 8. Of the 10 final qualifying sites in the United States, Barrett’s top preference is Woodmont.
“I kind of just want to go back and set it right, make things right,” he said. “I just want to go back there and barge into scoring after that first round and just make sure I sign that damn scorecard. It’s going to be my mission for the next however many years I’m able to do this.”
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