Tour rookie Sam Bairstow ready to tackle US Open challenge at Pinehurst

“That was my first one,” he remembers. “I was getting half decent at golf and started watching it more. I stayed up all night watching him win that.”

Twelve months later it was on to Pinehurst and the impressionable left-hander from Sheffield was hooked again.

“I remember Kaymer winning it by a low number in 2014,” says Bairstow, now 25.

A decade on the left-hander finds himself at Pinehurst as equals to Rose, Kaymer, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, teeing off on level par at the US Open on Thursday with the same chance as everyone else.

“Apart from Pebble Beach I couldn’t have picked a better golf course to make a US Open debut at than Pinehurst,” beams Bairstow, who was speaking last week before heading out on Friday to soak up as much of the experience as he can.

“I’ve been looking forward to it a lot, ever since I qualified, and it should hopefully be a great week.”

He is at one of America’s most famous golfing venues thanks to yet another stellar performance over a single day 36-hole qualifier.

Having successfully negotiated the shootouts to earn a spot at the Open in 2021 and 2022 while still an amateur, he rocked up at Walton Heath last month and repeated the trick.

“Thirty-six holes is a bit of a free hit, you either play well or you don’t, you qualify or you don’t,” he says of his mentality going into an event where only a handful of players advance.

“My mindset is a little different at those where you can just go and play and see what happens. It frees you up.”

He shot 68 in the morning round to give himself a chance of qualifying, and then followed it up with a 67 in the afternoon.

“I knew going through nine, 10, 11, 12 in the afternoon that if I got through those level par I’d be pretty happy with where I was, and I played it in two under,” says the Hallowes Golf Club member, who has made a solid start to life as a professional in his first year on the DP World Tour.

“After that there are par-fives you can attack and make birdie on. I was nine under with six to play thinking if I could nick a couple more then I’d have a great chance. I saw a leaderboard after 14 and knew if I parred in I’d be fine.

“Having played two Opens it’s a bit different because it feels like home, but the US Open feels that little bit more special because it’s on the other side of the world.

“Pinehurst is the closest thing to a links course you’re going to get in America, firm and fast.

“Hopefully it feels similar to a links course and a bit different to a US Open where it’s thick rough and hit it as far as you can.”

A third appearance in a major and first as a professional for the former Brabazon Trophy winner, fits nicely in the narrative of his debut season.

The Yorkshireman has adapted well to life on Tour, earning six top-25 finishes in eight outings from January through March which included a top-three in Singapore. He then finished 10th in Belgium two weeks ago.

“I can’t complain, probably close to as good a start as I could have had on Tour,” he reflects.

“I just need the game to click all at the same time; playing week in, week out for four days obviously takes it out of you so it’s learning that bit of it as well and getting used to that. Hopefully I find a course that suits me and I have my game that week.

“In Singapore I was pretty close, I needed to eagle the last to get into the play-off which I couldn’t do, but for me to hit the drive and then the second shot to 15 feet to give myself the chance, that was probably the biggest thing I took from the week. I was proud of myself for doing that when I needed to, even if I didn’t hole the putt.

“And Belgium was a pretty big week for me, it’s the first time I’ve been drawn with the bigger names like Luke Donald and then playing with Thomas Pieters on the Sunday. To experience that in my first year out is great and can only do me the world of good.”

The run of form has helped him re-evaluate his schedule. Earlier in the year he was thinking of skipping Open qualifying to concentrate on the two events in the States co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

Now, having got an earlier shot at America via the US Open, he will try and qualify for the Open and play in the Scottish Open, if he gets an invite. “And if not,” Bairstow offers, “I’ll go back to America. They’re nice options to have.”

He is currently 36th on the Race to Dubai rankings, hoping now in the very least to cement a spot in the top 50 to make it to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Beyond that, getting as close to the top 10 as possible and earning elevation to the PGA Tour is the goal.

“You only need one week and it can be life-changing,” he says.

Could this week at Pinehurst be the one?