At the conclusion of his final round at the 125th U.S. Open, Niklas Norgaard was eager to check his phone to see if he officially could celebrate Father’s Day. Norgaard’s wife was back in their native Denmark, due to give birth to the couple’s first child any day.
“Hopefully, nothing has happened yet,” the 33-year-old said with a laugh.
Norgaard could be forgiven if he wound up being a little late for the blessed event. After all, he had the opportunity to play in only his second career major championship.
After missing the cut at the PGA Championship, Norgaard made it safely to the weekend at Oakmont Country Club and finished 13-over-par (76-70-75-72). He was on his way to an even-par final round until taking a double bogey on No. 18.
Though disappointed by how he finished, Norgaard was ecstatic with his overall experience.
“I came a long way from (last) Sunday when I got here thinking I have no idea how to shoot under 80 here,” he said. “… Definitely (played) my best round today. Just didn’t get the most out of it.
“But it motivates me being in these kinds of tournaments.”
Norgaard hopes to be in more tournaments of this magnitude. Admittedly a late-bloomer in golf, Norgaard played mostly soccer and some ice hockey in his youth. (He said he took special pleasure in playing his U.S. Open qualifier near Toronto after Denmark defeated Canada in the recent IIHF World Championships.) But he proved to be a quick study in golf and turned pro in 2016 at age 24.
The individual aspect of the game is what attracted him, and seeing the success of countrymen such as Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen — only two years older than Norgaard but a pro since 2008 — added motivation.
He is part of a strong wave of Danish golfers making a mark on the world stage. There were four in the field at Oakmont this week, and three made the cut, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Rasmus Hojgaard being the others. Olesen was the only Dane to miss the cut.
Norgaard entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 106 in the world, one spot behind Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus’ twin brother. Rasmus Hojgaard is the highest-ranked among players from Denmark at No. 68, and there are five Danes ranked in the top 110 in the world.
“It’s pretty amazing for a small country right?” Norgaard asked rhetorically through a wide grin. “I think it’s really cool, and I think Danish golf is in a great spot. I can’t believe how many young guys keep coming up.
“It’s fun to have each other’s back and having dinners together and just great company.”
With one professional victory on the DP World (European) Tour and three in the Nordic Golf League, Norgaard intends to use his performance at Oakmont as a springboard to the PGA Tour. He said that is “100%” his goal for the future.
And he hopes to spend more Father’s Days playing in U.S. Opens. It could be said that Oakmont was his baby step.
“I just love that you are challenged in every part of your game,” Norgaard said about Oakmont. “There’s not one time out there you can relax. You have to be good at everything, and especially (in your head).
“… I think you really need some grit out there, and I think there’s been some exposure of my game, what to work on, and that’s what I’m going to hit at home.”
