Wyckoff Native to Compete in Third U.S. Open

Wyckoff native Morgan Hoffmann will hit the links this week for his third U.S. Open, vying against USGA golfers in a tournament at Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia, according to a report by NJ.com.

Hoffmann, 23, qualified for the tournament last week, setting the stage for his 12^th PGA event. Making appearances in major golf outings since age 16, Hoffman’s last two trips to the Open ended in disappointment.

In his first appearance in the tournament, at 19, he went into the 18th hole of the first round down only one stroke, but sent two balls into the ocean and blew a stroke attempting to get another out of a bunker. Last year, he tied for 29th place in the tournament.

But, Hoffmann told the Star Ledger, Merion is a familiar course for the golfer, who despite the disappointments in his last two U.S. Opens is undiscouraged going into this week’s outing.

“It actually was a realization that I could compete in the U.S. Open,” he told the paper of his first appearance in the tournament. “I was close to the lead after 17 holes. I belonged. It was so cool to have people yelling my name and saying, ‘Go Jersey!’ way out in California. And I’ve wanted that feeling back every year.”

Merion was the setting of Hoffmann’s first major event, the 2005 U.S. Amateur, and the golfer returned in 2009 as a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team. So for the Wyckoff golfer, the Philadelphia course is home turf.

“This is a course that I’ve played many times before,” Hoffmann told the Star Ledger. “I think I have a fighting chance to be better than I have been before.”

The tournament began Monday and will continue through the week.