Over a year, Willie Mack III dwelt in his automobile. Now, he's realizing his aspiration at the US Open.
The 35-year-old hailing from Michigan made a remarkable entrance in his significant first outing at the 124th edition of his national tournament on Thursday. He surpassed some of the top players in the game under challenging conditions at the Pinehurst No.2 course in North Carolina. His one-over par 71 equalized the performance of the world No.1 and tournament favorite, Scottie Scheffler, outperforming the scores of various other stars, including defending champion Wyndham Clark, multiple major champion Jordan Spieth, and his idol, Tiger Woods.
A decade ago, as Woods approached the all-time PGA Tour win record, Mack was settling down for the night in his Ford Mustang. Contrary to Woods, who was granted a special exemption for this week, Mack followed a complicated route to reach Pinehurst.
He clinched his qualification by edging through a playoff in Florida last week, but this barely captures the complexities of his long and arduous journey.
Born in Flint, Mack amassed numerous junior titles in his hometown before impressing with his decorated college career. At Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, he collected 11 individual titles. In 2011, he became the first Black player to win the Michigan Amateur Championship.
In an interview with Michigan-based media group MLive, Mack revealed he had faced racial prejudice during his youth golf days. "Growing up, going to some courses ... you get looks or just aren't treated the same way," he said. He got past this by keeping his focus and moving forward.
Turning professional shortly after his victory, Mack dove into regional circuits like the Florida Professional Golf Tour and the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, created to promote diversity in the sport. His first year was promising, but the financial burden of funding his travels became apparent. He found himself sleeping on friends' sofas or, unbeknownst to his mother, in his own car for more than a year and a half. He concealed his living situation to avoid being noticed.
"At the time, I just thought it was embarrassing," Mack told Golf.com. "But that's all I had to try and get by. I'm sure there's people that people don't know what they're going through and doing things you'd never expect..."
Multiple attempts to secure a place on the PGA Tour through qualifying school failed, but a breakthrough came in 2018 when Mack managed to join the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Despite playing only two events and earning just $766 in total, it marked the beginning of regular outings on the sport's most prestigious circuits. In 2021, he participated in 20 tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour, earning over $45,000 in prize money.
Before this week, a major appearance had remained elusive. Despite numerous attempts, including narrowly missing a US Open field spot a few years ago in a playoff, Mack finally secured his spot at the Bear's Club in Orlando on June 3 after a grueling 36-hole playoff to clinch the final few starting places.
"You just gotta keep fighting. My Dad always told me never to give up and I always keep that in the back of my mind," Mack said after his triumph.
On Thursday, Mack began among the early groups and held a top position on the leaderboard for a while as he started strongly with two birdies across his first six holes. His 2-under score placed him just three shots behind round one leaders Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, but three late bogeys pushed him above par. Nevertheless, his performance was admirable, with many top players struggling on the firm and fast No. 2 course.
"Ain't as shaking as I might've been before some PGA Tour matches, Mack shared post-game," he said to the media.
"Playing a complete season last year likely readied me for such scenarios. Still, it's the US Open, so you gotta stay focused, keep your head low, and whack some top-notch shots."
Kicking off the final groups to hit the course at 2:42 p.m. ET (7:42 p.m. BST) on Friday, Flint is set to pass the cut and etch a major chapter into the chronicles of his career this weekend.
"This here week's got a real somethin' special for me," he continued.
"Figures work out a certain way. I reckon this is my moment to excel."
