When Greaser birdied 13, 14, 15 and 17, he was at 3-under for the day, one shot out of a playoff for the last of four qualifying spots available.
“When I get going, I make plenty of birdies, and I can make them in flurries and ride the momentum,” he said. “Got to figure out a way to clean up those mistakes.”
Three double bogeys on the first 18 were the worst part of his day. But when it came down to the last hole and needing another birdie, he left his second shot short of the green on the par-4 No. 18. He bogeyed to finish the day 2-under and two shots out of the playoff.
“Felt like I gave myself a chance, felt the nerves and felt the pressure of having a chance,” Greaser said. “That’s what it’s about. I’m excited how I battled. I’m excited about my game the second round, and hopefully we can just build off that.”
Greaser circled June 2, 2025, on his calendar three years ago when he learned next week’s U.S. Open would be played at Oakmont.
Because in 2021, at Oakmont, the historic course near Pittsburgh, Greaser finished second in the U.S. Amateur and earned exemptions to compete in the 2022 U.S. Open and Masters. He made the cut at the U.S. Open.
Instead of preparing for playing in the U.S. Open next week, Greaser will be living his first week as a married man to Alayna Liskey. She is from Tipp City and met while in high school through friends. The wedding is in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, next the the University of North Carolina campus where he was an All-American.
“Six days from today,” Greaser said and smiled. “We’re going to have a busy week here, but definitely excited for that, excited to put the sticks down for a little bit. Maybe this is what I need. We’re pumped, and I’ve been been with her since high school. So we’ve been looking forward to this for a while now, and it’s going be a really special day.”
Next on Greaser’s golf calendar will be a return to the Korn Ferry Tour, a proving ground for those with PGA Tour aspirations. In 27 events since last summer, he’s made 13 cuts with two top 10 finishes, one top five and $121,860. But he’s missed 14 cuts and overall not played as well as he believes he can.
“I wish I would have got off a little bit stronger on Korn Ferry,” he said. “Probably haven’t had my best stuff this year. It’s actually been a lot of what everybody’s seen today.”
Greaser said long stretches of inconsistent play, like a good portion of his first 18 on Monday, has held him back.
“It seems like I’m having a hard time getting off on the right foot, and there’s been a lot of tournaments like that this year,” he said. “We just got to figure out a way to clean that up. And there’s still a lot of tournaments left, and with a couple good finishes, you can really rack up some points. So I feel like I have as good of a chance as anybody coming down the stretch.”
About the Author