Christmas 20—BELLEFONTE “I don’t think it’s set in yet.”
That’s how local golfer Harold Wallace described the feeling of qualifying for the 2023 Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club during a press conference on Monday at the Bellefonte Country Club.
It’s understandable that Wallace has yet to really feel the magnitude of the moment. In fact, his qualifying round was enough to have most golfers in a state of awe.
Wallace, age 53, shot a record-setting 63, 7-under par at the Firestone West Course in Akron, Ohio, to top the list of over 100 competitors and earn medalist honors at the event on July 10.
The key to Wallace’s impressive round might have been his cautious mindset heading into the round.
“When I was walking to the first tee that morning, I felt like it wasn’t going to be a really good day,” Wallace said. “Maybe that made me focus a little more. I’m capable of shooting those scores, but it usually comes down to just getting it into the hole. If the ball doesn’t go in the hole, it doesn’t matter how well you hit it. I’ve missed a lot of these qualifiers by four or five easy putts that I should’ve made.”
After qualifying for the Senior Open, which starts on July 27, Wallace’s first call was to his mother Birdie Wallace.
“I was so proud,” his mother said. “I was about to cry on the phone with him, and he said ‘You can’t do that or then I’ll start crying too.’ His dad and I are just so happy for him.”
For Wallace, the chance to play in a major PGA event is the culmination of the work he’s put into golf; work that started when he was a kid who watched his dad golf.
“My dad played with a bunch of guys and he just took me out with him,” Wallace said. “We’d beat it around the course and I just fell in love with it. It’s the hardest sport by a mile, but for some reason I love challenges. There’s no way to perfect this game for sure.”
Wallace, a 1987 Greenup County graduate who now lives in McDermott, Ohio, has been grateful for the support he’s seen from many across the tri-state area he calls home.
“It’s awesome,” Wallace said. “It’s been amazing to see all the support from everyone. The support from Bellefonte Country Club and everyone at the Portsmouth Elks Country Club has been phenomenal.”
The Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, located in Wales in the United Kingdom, will offer plenty of challenges for Wallace, who has never before played outside of the United States.
“I’ve played in three PGA events, and the courses are always completely different than what you’re used to playing on,” Wallace said. “You have to get used to that stuff. Over there the greens aren’t supposed to be too fast because of how hard the wind blows, it’d blow the ball all around. The grass will be similar to what I’m used to, except for those weeds. To get the Royal name in front of the course, there have to be hundreds of years of history there, so it’ll be a challenging course.”
Wallace thinks his success will hinge on his ability to stay focused and to take things as they come without looking too far ahead.
“This game should be taken one hole, one shot at a time,” Wallace said. “I catch myself sometimes thinking ahead ‘Oh, I’ve got this hole coming up,’ and you kind of lose track.” It’s a tough game and you just have to do what you can do with it.”
As an added bonus to the trip, Wallace expects to take a practice round with two-time PGA Championship winner and 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh, who will also be competing in the event.
“I’ll probably be playing a practice round with Vijay,” Wallace said. “David Bradshaw and Vijay are close, David is associated with Jesse (Hunt) at OrthoLinks, and we played together in Q-School two years ago. So, I expect I’ll get to do a practice round with Vijay.”
Wallace’s goal for the Open Championship is to simply play well and see if he can make something happen.
“Obviously I want to do really well in this tournament,” Wallace said. “If I don’t, well it’s my first (PGA Tour) Champions event and it’s a British Open, which is unbelievable. I’d just like to go over there and make the cut. If I do that, I’d be tickled. But I also want to play well, and if I do that, you could see my name on the leaderboard. I know that when I’m playing well, I can play with these guys.”
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