It was a rough day for Topsham’s Caleb Manuel at the 122nd U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Thursday.
The 20-year-old, who just finished his sophomore season at the University of Connecticut, shot a 13-over par 83.
Manuel posted 11 bogeys, one double bogey and six pars over the 7,264-yard, par-70 layout that features 12 par-fours, four par-threes and two par-fives.
He played better on the back nine, collecting four of his six pars.
Manuel, who qualified by shooting a three-under-par 137 over 36 holes on two New York courses on June 6, bogeyed the first five holes and then double-bogeyed the 196-yard par-three sixth hole.
After another bogey on seven, he strung together his first pars on the 548-yard par-five eighth hole and the 432-yard par-four ninth hole.
Manuel, one of just three Mainers to play in the U.S. Open, bogeyed holes 10, 12, 13, 15 and 17 on the back nine but parred the 122-yard par three 11th, the 624-yard par-five 14th, the 201-yard par-three 16th and the 444-yard par-four 18th hole.
One of his playing partners, Keith Greene, also shot a 13-over 83 while the other, Canadian Ben Silverman, posted a two-over-par 72.
The trio will tee off for round two at 2:42 p.m. on Friday and they will play the 10th hole first instead of the first hole like they did on Thursday.
Manuel and Greene have virtually no chance of making the cut after Friday’s round but Silverman is very much in the hunt.
The golfers were subjected to windy conditions throughout the day.
Manuel hit just 36 percent of the fairways and his average drive was 296.5 yards, which was just more than a yard below the average.
Manuel said he received some advice from longtime PGA pros Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas before the event.
“They just told me to enjoy it,” Manuel said. “It is a great experience.”
It is Manuel’s second pro tournament. He played in the Live and Work in Maine Korn Ferry Tour event at the Falmouth Country Club last summer but failed to make the cut.
Manuel and Camden’s Cole Anderson, who plays for Florida State, have received sponsor exemptions into this month’s second annual Live and Work in Maine Tournament, which will be held June 23-26.
Manuel was one of just four New Englanders in the 156-player field at the U.S. Open.
Vermont native Keegan Bradley, who has four PGA Tour wins and is ranked 47th in the world, shot an even-par 70, and Massachusetts natives Fran Quinn and Michael Thorbjonsen shot a six-over par 76 and seven-over 77, respectively.
The 57-year-old Quinn is the oldest golfer in the field and Thorbjonsen, who just completed his sophomore season at Stanford University, is ranked 24th in the world among amateurs.
Manuel is a two-time All-Big East selection and was the Freshman of the Year in 2021.
He shared medalist honors at the Big East with Seton Hall’s Gregor Tait with an 11-under-par 205.
He won the Maine Amateur and the Downeast Metro tournaments last year and the Maine Junior Amateur two years ago.
The former Mt. Ararat of Topsham star is a two-time state Class A individual champion and he guided the Eagles to a pair of team titles.
