Terry column: Eighth grader gives golf pros his best shot

Facing professional golfers, college seniors, high school state champions and seasoned amateurs, Libby’s Ryggs Johnston led the field after the opening nine holes at the U.S. Open Qualifier at Missoula Country Club on Tuesday.

That he was doing well wasn’t surprising, even if it was his first attempt at the tournament. Johnston has done well at nearly every tournament he’s competed in.

The remarkable part as he competed among the best in the region for an opportunity to advance to a sectional qualifier later this year, is that Johnston is only 14.

The reigning state 14-15 junior golf champion and a runner-up in his age group at the U.S. teen world championships last year, Johnston has already competed in his share of high-profile events.

He finished in a tie for 36th at the Callaway Junior World Championships last summer and won on the Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour already this season.

Even with that in mind, his mother said she wasn’t sure this was the year to enter him into the qualifier, the first step in playing in one of golf’s four major tournaments.

In theory, anybody can golf in the U.S. Open, which is being held in the Pacific Northwest for the first time this year in June at Chambers Bay Golf Club in the Seattle area.

Golfers who place in the top three at the Missoula local qualifier, advance to a sectional qualifier. The top golfers from that tournament face off against the world’s best 156 golfers at the U.S. Open.

This year’s local qualifier at the Missoula Country Club featured at least a dozen pros at the top of the leaderboard, a few of the state’s top amateurs and a pair of college golfers.

“We weren’t sure if he was getting in over his head,” said Cindy Ostrem-Johnston, Ryggs’ mother. Ryggs’ golf coach convinced the family to enter him anyway and let him try.

“We found out he can compete with those guys,” she said.

Ryggs shot 2-under-par 33 on the front nine, good enough to tie him for the lead at the turn with Wyoming pro Daniel Brunson.

“It wasn’t too hard. It was from the back tees, but it wasn’t too bad,” Ryggs Johnston said.

“I felt like if I kept it up I had a good chance.”

Had he shot even par on the back nine, like Brunson, he would have made the top three and advanced to the next round of qualifying. Instead he fell back to the pack, shooting 4-over-par 39 to tie for eighth place.

“I just hit a few missed shots, left it in a few bad places to miss,” he said

He carded the third-best amateur round, beating a pair of reigning high school state champions, a handful of pros and a sophomore at the University of Michigan.

Ryggs will continue to take on top competition this summer, competing in a full slate of tournaments, including the state’s big events like the Barnett Memorial in Missoula, the Fourth of July tournament in Whitefish and the Labor Day tournament in Kalispell. He’ll continue to shoot for junior titles both in Montana and at national events before high school competition starts next spring in Libby.

Most importantly, he’s still looking to improve.

“I’m looking at some of the tournaments I’ve gone to, to hopefully keep doing better on those,” he said,.

“Hopefully win a couple.”