Beau Hossler- My New Hero

[Tim Martin]

Does this kid personify courage and heart? How many other high school kids have had this kind of showing in our national championship or any other major for that matter? I really thought he would shoot a million on Saturday and Sunday.

[Terry Lavin]

You like him?  Buy him a manssiere!

[Mark Johnson]

terry,

even money says he hires a trainer, gets in shape and game goes to hell.

If you look at his swing, it is build for a round guy.   If you put him in shape, then who knows where the ball will go.


tim,

agreed.  he showed a lot of heart.   However, if he didnt same dunk that par puttfrom off the green on #1, i dont think he would have broken 80.

[Terry Lavin]

So his question is : Do I want to lose my tits or keep my game?  He'll follow Phil.

[Tim Martin]

Judge-Give the kid some time to blossom. Did you see his mom?

[Peter Pallotta]

I think the kid should consider taking up drinking and smoking, and eating nothing but eggs benedict morning, noon and night. I'm telling you, if he keeps competing at that level and looking the way he does, the endorsement deals are gonna come pouring in by the millions, and I for one will be buying whatever those companies are selling! We sort-of-slob-golfers have to stick together!!

P

[Wayne_Kozun]

Does this kid personify courage and heart? How many other high school kids have had this kind of showing in our national championship or any other major for that matter?

Michelle Wie?  She finished 9th in the LPGA champ at 14, 4th in The Kraft Nabisco at 15, 2nd in the LPGA champ at 16, T25 in the US Women's Open at 16, etc.

All better at a younger age than Hossler who finished T 29 this weekend.

[mike_beene]

Ben Crenshaw was never as good as when he was 15 in my opinion.

[Tim Martin]

I'm with you Tim. He showed enormous composure and talent and had one heck of a tournament. Who knows where he'll go from here? I thought I heard he was going to attend Texas on scholarship and, like all other big-time college programs, he will have a nutritionist and trainer at his disposal. And from what I hear, it is not optional whether or not he uses these folks.

David- Thanks bud. I bet he put himself on the radar for next year's Walker Cup with that showing.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Justin Rose is one more example, he finished T4 in The Open Championship while still a 17 year old amateur, a much stronger showing than Hossler.

[Scott Warren]

All this talk of finishing positions, but what impressed me about Hossler's play was that after playing himself into contention, he didn't throw up all over himself. Of course he gave some shots away on Sunday, but by that point he had been in and around the lead for quite a while.

[Doug Siebert]

I'm with you Tim. He showed enormous composure and talent and had one heck of a tournament. Who knows where he'll go from here? I thought I heard he was going to attend Texas on scholarship and, like all other big-time college programs, he will have a nutritionist and trainer at his disposal. And from what I hear, it is not optional whether or not he uses these folks.

Not optional meaning he has to talk to them but still can do what he wants, or not optional meaning they are going to make him eat what they tell him and hit the gym whether he likes it or not and take away his scholarship if he doesn't?

[Adam Makepeace]

Hossler was hands down the highlight of the tournament - what a legend! loved the way he saluted the crowd too - definitely a bit of swagger there.

Confident young fella, I agree. Outstanding performance.

More of a waddle than a stagger for mine though.

[Jeff Evagues]

He was the one amateur I was not rooting for. Something about the kid just turned me off.

[Joe Bausch]

I'm with you Tim. He showed enormous composure and talent and had one heck of a tournament. Who knows where he'll go from here? I thought I heard he was going to attend Texas on scholarship and, like all other big-time college programs, he will have a nutritionist and trainer at his disposal. And from what I hear, it is not optional whether or not he uses these folks.

Not optional meaning he has to talk to them but still can do what he wants, or not optional meaning they are going to make him eat what they tell him and hit the gym whether he likes it or not and take away his scholarship if he doesn't?

Mandatory workouts. Now, as far as what they eat, I can't fathom how they would implement that. I remember when I was in school, we had a guy who played on the basketball team who was given the nickname "Dinner Bell Mel." The guy liked to eat. In fact, he is one of the few who actually ate his way out of the NBA. In any event, rumor has it that while in college, Joe B. Hall had one of the managers follow him around in an effort to prevent Mel from eating too much fast food. Hall also, as rumor has it, contacted several fast food joints around town and asked them not to serve his player after a certain time in the day.

Unfortunately Mel Turpin committed suicide back in 2010.

I saw him play many games as a Wildcat.  Really nice player.

[Mark McKeever]

I'm with you Tim. He showed enormous composure and talent and had one heck of a tournament. Who knows where he'll go from here? I thought I heard he was going to attend Texas on scholarship and, like all other big-time college programs, he will have a nutritionist and trainer at his disposal. And from what I hear, it is not optional whether or not he uses these folks.

David- Thanks bud. I bet he put himself on the radar for next year's Walker Cup with that showing.

Agreed Tim!  I think we will be seeing a lot more of this kid!

Mark

[Jed Peters]

I agree with Johnny Miller that Beau should have kept it to himself that he "changed his goals" from becoming low AM to winning the tournament.

He wasn't low AM at the end of the tourney, and hell, he wasn't even low Longhorn!

To me, that's puking all over yourself.

So Beau doesn't know.

[Rick Shefchik]

His swing -- and body shape -- reminded me of Colin Montgomery from the first time I laid eyes on him. Not sure whether to wish that kind of career on him or not.

[Carl Nichols]

His swing -- and body shape -- reminded me of Colin Montgomery from the first time I laid eyes on him. Not sure whether to wish that kind of career on him or not.

Career, absolutely yes.  Personality, no.

[Jud_T]

The most impressive thing to me, and one of the most important going forward, is how well he handled all the media attention and didn't seem to get at all flustered or let it affect his focus.

[Joe Stansell]

I sat on the 8th green as he and Duffner came through on Sunday. I was amazed at his poise even after the crowd began chanting his name. A lesser player of his age would have easily cracked under that pressure.

That said, he's going to have to lose that dopey visor if he wants to win me over as a die-hard fan.

[JMEvensky]

That said, he's going to have to lose that dopey visor if he wants to win me over as a die-hard fan.

Easy now--Longhorn alum here.

[Sean Leary]

So his question is : Do I want to lose my tits or keep my game?  He'll follow Phil.

Phil has lost weight. I was surprised how "not fat" he looked in person last week.....

[George Pazin]

I agree with Johnny Miller that Beau should have kept it to himself that he "changed his goals" from becoming low AM to winning the tournament.

He wasn't low AM at the end of the tourney, and hell, he wasn't even low Longhorn!

To me, that's puking all over yourself.

So Beau doesn't know.

It's amazing how different people can view things in the exact opposite manner. I thought it was great - and especially refreshing - that he was willing to put himself out there. So he wasn't low AM, who really cares about that? If I were him and Jordan Spieth started giving me crap the next year, I'd just say, yeah, the course plays a lot harder late in the day, when you're out with the leaders...

Calling a 17 year old shooting 76 on the final day of a major, one of the mentally hardest majors to boot, after being in real contention for 3 days, puking all over yourself, well, I'll just say that's a perspective I don't share.

Beau knows more than anyone on this board what it's like to play late in the day on Sunday at the US Open.

I don't really believe in using the terms "hero" and "courage" with respect to sports, but I will say I was rooting hard for the kid and thought he did one helluva job. Hat's off to him, hope to see him push to new heights in the future.

[Kalen Braley]

George,

This is one topic you and I agree on 1000%

Man boobs, low AM comments, swaggy walk??  Come on guys are you serious? Give the guy a freaking break, he's just a kid who's still wearing braces , trying to break thru his insecurities for that 1st date, and get past those awkward teen years.

I doubt most of us here would hold up so well even now, much less when we were pimply teenagers.....

Its one thing to bag on a grown adult like Phil or Tiger...but c'mon we're better than bagging on a kid right?