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.