In six-day span, Bellarmine grad Highsmith captures U.S. Open spot, wins national title

Joe Highsmith was cruising his way toward a spot in the U.S. Open, but he didn’t know it.

He didn’t look at the scores. He didn’t want to know. Highsmith thought he’d have to step his game up through the final stretch of a 36-hole qualifier at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash., despite carding a three-under 69 in his first round.

But after making a clutch birdie with just six holes to play, Highsmith began pulling away. The crowd following his group grew in size. His first major appearance became more and more certain.

Highsmith posted another 69 in his second round, good for medalist honors in a field of 45 and a spot in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines (La Jolla, California), which begins June 17.

“It means a lot,” Highsmith said. “Playing in my first major is going to be pretty unbelievable. Obviously, it’s been my lifelong dream to play golf professionally, so to get a little taste of this week is going to be pretty special. It’s really cool to see all of the hard work paying off, so I’m pretty pumped.”

Highsmith grew up in Lakewood, and led Bellarmine Prep to a 4A state title in 2017. Three months later, he became the youngest ever to win the Washington State Amateur at Tumble Creek. And in 2019, Highsmith secured a victory at the 2019 Sahalee Players Championship, defeating his then-college teammate Sahith Theegala, in what became a two-man race.

Highsmith’s hardware tally grew last week in Scottsdale, Arizona, too. Deemed the favorite in last year’s championship before its cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pepperdine defeated Oklahoma in the NCAA Division I championship, clinching the Waves’ first title since 1997.

“It was unbelievable, especially for the team,” Highsmith said of the national title win. “Coach (Michael Beard) worked so hard to get this dream team (assembled) the last couple of years, and we didn’t get a chance to do it last year with COVID canceling it. It was really cool for us to come back and … show the world that we’re still there and still really good. And it was nice for me personally, to have some clutch moments and play well for the team and go 3-0 in match play. It was really special.”

The South Course at Torrey Pines is up next, and the best golfers in the world stand in Highsmith’s way. He’s never played the course, but his caddie, Joey Vrzich, has; Highsmith’s Pepperdine teammate won the 2020 California Amateur at Torrey Pines last year, and will “show him the ropes” next week.

With any U.S. Open, Highsmith says, the course will be tight and reward ball striking. But that’s how he wants it. The Lakewood native plays smart, and prefers when courses are tough and scores are high.

He shuts out the noise, and lets his game take care of itself.

“I think it’s going to be a good opportunity to see where I stack up against the best players in the world,” Highsmith said. “It’s hard to say now, but obviously once the week’s over, I’m sure there will be plenty of things that I learned about myself and my game.”

Pepperdine’s championship team, in fact, was a playoff hole away from sending two golfers to the USGA’s flagship tournament. RJ Manke, Highsmith’s teammate at both Bellarmine Prep and Pepperdine, finished in a tie for second Monday, but Steve Allan won a playoff for the final spot, ending Manke’s bid for his first major appearance.

“Once I finished, RJ was there to congratulate me, and he looked super pumped for me,” Highsmith said. “It was so cool to have him there, and obviously I was really cheering for him to get through. It was heartbreaking to see him lose in that playoff hole, but it’s been pretty cool to do all of this stuff alongside RJ.”

Highsmith won’t have his longtime teammate alongside him at Torrey Pines, but he’ll be playing in his first major. And that’s the key word: first. Still just 21 years old, it doesn’t seem to be a matter of whether Highsmith will play in another major, but when.

The college junior still has another two years of athletic eligibility and a national title to defend. But once Highsmith wraps up his college career at Pepperdine, he aspires to play golf professionally -- which he says is his lifelong dream.

“Over the years, all of those wins and those pressure moments build on each other, and you learn from it, and it helps you going forward,” Highsmith said. “I mean, going to play in my first major is definitely the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.