- Austin Greaser strode down the ninth fairway on Saturday afternoon chatting with Gary Woodland; he looked at ease as Woodland cracked a joke. Greaser laughed as he approached his ball.

It didn’t look like Greaser was in the pressure cooker of the 122nd U.S. Open. It could have been any Saturday afternoon.

“I did a good job in staying in what I do and not changing it based on the fact that it’s the U.S. Open and there are a lot of people watching,” Greaser said following his fourth round.

The support system around Greaser was strong this week. His parents, Michael and Lisa, were there every step of the way, and Byron joined him inside the ropes as his caddie. His girlfriend and other close friends were also tracking Austin across the hilly, tough venue.

“We’re one-for-one on making a cut in a professional event,” Austin joked. “We shared some pretty cool moments out there. It was fun to get to do it with him by my side.”

Another important figure in Greaser’s golfing life, not just this week, but for the last decade is Ryan Gillen. Gillen came across Greaser at NCR Country Club when Greaser was 11 years old. Gillen works in real estate and enjoys golfing with his buddies.

He decided to invite Greaser to join them. Over the years, he watched him improve.  

“He caught my attention right away,” Gillen said. “He was so good and so competitive.”  

As Greaser grew older, he’d play for a bit of money with the older golfers and didn’t leave with empty pockets frequently.

Gillen vouched for Greaser and found him a place to play and practice so he could hone his skills. Gillen and his wife were close by this week; Gillen carried the bag from Monday-Wednesday at The Country Club so Byron could rest up for the big four days when the event started.

This week confirmed for Greaser that he does indeed belong with the best players in the world. It’s been a solid, steady year of growth for Greaser. From the U.S. Amateur runner-up finish, to a year on a top 5 college team, to the Masters, to the U.S. Open. He learns from his experiences and keeps improving.

A few highlights for Greaser as he reflected on the week were a putt on the 12th hole that he made for birdie on Thursday. The 12th has a slippery green, sloping steeply from back to front, and Greaser poured in a 30-foot putt from the back of the green down to a front hole location.

“It was one of the better putts I’ve ever hit in my life. That was pretty cool and got a pretty good roar,” Greaser said.

His name also garnered some attention.

“I got up and down on ten and some of the fans out here were chanting ‘Grease’pretty hard. That’s definitely a highlight.”

He continued to process the week.

“This is the epitome of United States golf. Just really special to be here playing golf and playing the weekend.”

And it wasn’t lost on him that it was Father’s Day.

“To do this on Father’s Day is even more special,” he said. “I can’t wait to go and give him a big hug.”

Greaser will cross the border into Rhode Island where he’ll compete in the North East Amateur before heading home for a bit of rest before the Western Amateur in Chicago and the U.S. Amateur in New Jersey.