Oakmont, PA – Imagine a five-foot putt, one shorter than the width of your extended arm. If you are a professional golfer, you have about three-thirds of the chance to make it. The odds are your favor.
Now imagine that the putt is to cut with a tape measure. In this case, the US is open. Suddenly, those 5 feet start to look like five miles, right?
advertisement
Philip Burberry faced that exact challenge on Saturday morning. The former junior amateur champion returned to the course early on Saturday to finish the second round, which was late for the rain. He had to make a par in his final hole to make a cut. There is no pressure.
Until his wife Chloe caddyed for him, and his entire career went to this moment, Burberry stepped up to the ball, gave him a tap, and saw it see the truth on a bit uphill.
The moment of joy and embrace between Philip and Chloe lost all around social media for good reason. Even if you don’t know who Valbury is, honestly, most golf fans aren’t, but you can see their faces, pride, relief, joys of joy at once. It was a welcome antidote to all the cries, grips and club throws happening elsewhere on the course.
advertisement
This is how it came together.
Barbaree has spent most of the past six months trying to find his way in the relentless world of professional golf. 2015 US Junior Amateur Champion – A man named Scotty Scheffler won two years later – Burberry has struggled ever since 2021 when he left the Pro. He only qualified for the US to open this year through local and regional tournaments, but it seemed to have a dream of opening round 76 being in danger.
Not a Sunday end-of-year tee time meant it would take Burberry to figure out how to attack the cut line. He posted two rounds of three buildings through the first 15 holes on Friday, removing two strokes from the +7 cut line. The finish line was visible.
But in Oakmont, there’s nothing easy. Barbaree bogeyed the Par-4 7th and reduced the margin of error to one stroke. At that point, the heaven above Oakmont erupted, sending Burberry and a few other golfers to the night course home. He had to return to Oakmont at 7:30am on Saturday, and he was facing two of the toughest holes on the course.
advertisement
On the par 3 8th, his tee shot reached green, but 101 feet from the pin. The greens were more unpredictable after the rain, and Burberry shaved three times to eliminate all the cushions. Now, he will need to make a par on the par 4, 9th hole, the toughest hole on the course he averaged 4.54 strokes on Friday to extend the tournament.
His tee shot found the fairway, his second shot reached 32 feet of green from the pin, and his first putt stopped 5 feet, 2 inches short. He breathed deeply, stepped up…and accomplished it.
“I almost came out and knew I had to come out in one of the toughest holes on the course,” Burberry said after his round.
advertisement
He then turned to Chloe. Chloe stood by him with a smile. “I’m on the bag with her so that I can pull out such a shot when it matters,” he said, “it’s special.”
Chloe has been caddying for Philip for about a year. She hasn’t tote her full tour bag. She doesn’t necessarily help with the nuance of course or club choice, as has long-standing caddies.
“I’ve always been honored that he chose me as his caddy. “I’m not pushy, you know. I don’t know all the facts, so I’m really there for moral support and encouragement.”
“I don’t like a lot of information out there. I start thinking too much, so when I start talking to the caddy, I sometimes get it in my head,” explained Philip with a laugh. “It was really great to just have her with me and provide some peace and comfort.”
advertisement
Professionally speaking, opening up cuts in the US is a huge advantage for Burberry’s career. He has been cashing out his crucial pay this week and proves he can stick to the best of the game. He has several strokes ahead of major winners Cam Smith and Matsuyama Hideki after three rounds. But beyond that, his performance has stepped into exempting this week’s performance from the first stage of Q-School and getting a full PGA Tour card for the 2026 season.
“Oakmont is tough, but the entire Q-school can be tough,” Burberry said. “To be able to skip stages is huge.”
I also work hard: I’m particular about my dreams of golf. Burberry admits that he went through some dark times as he pursued his dreams. “There was definitely a few down periods,” he said. Do you want to continue playing? Do you want to continue doing this? But I love golf so it’s too difficult to give up. ”
Plus, as he noticed with a smile, there is a tougher job than a professional golfer. “Oakmont is barely more difficult than my experience as a bass boy at my dad’s steakhouse,” he said. “In two days I got sick and opened my fingers wide, but it wasn’t that interesting. So I knew I had to go back to the course.”
This decision has paid off well so far this week.
