Lake Johnson didn't have the start he wanted during Wednesday's U.S. Open qualifying at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville.
But he more than made up for it.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer from Chattanooga Christian shot a 67, finishing in a tie for third and qualifying for the sectional round along with Eric Axley from McMinn County. Axley also had a 67.
Johnson started on hole No. 10 and bogeyed his first hole but came back with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. That helped him right the ship and remain in contention.
"I thought I played pretty well," he said. "I putted very well, which helped me a lot. I knew I was going to make a bogey or two because it was a tough course, but I didn't let that get me down. I knew I could make enough birdies to make up for it, so I stayed patient, played my game and didn't worry about the result.
"I focused on hitting good shots, staying in the moment, trying to shoot a low score and doing what I could do."
There were four qualifiers at Holston Hills. Walt Chapman was first with a 64. Fernando Mechereffe shot a 66.
According to the United States Golf Association, "the number of qualifying spots is determined by the size of each field. The USGA relies heavily on state and regional golf associations to conduct qualifiers within their jurisdiction."
The local qualifiers move on to one of 12 sectional qualifying events, which will be played in June.
Former UTC golfer Derek Rende also qualified for a sectional on Tuesday. Mocs sophomore Etienne Brault claimed an alternate spot last week.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.