LOS ANGELES – Jacob Solomon’s professional goal is clearly laid out in his LinkedIn bio: “My career mission is to become the best golfer in the world.”
Not many professional golfers have active LinkedIn profiles, but Solomon’s story is different than most of his contemporaries in the 156-player field for this week’s 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, not that you’d know so by looking at his score. The 26-year-old was briefly in the lead during the first round and fired a 2-under 68 in his U.S. Open debut on Thursday.
“Yeah, obviously a dream come true for me, but I believed in myself to get to this point, and playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this year has been a step in the right direction for me,” said Solomon after his round. “Yeah, as a little kid, to see your name towards the top of the leaderboard in a U.S. Open, I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me when I was 15 years old that this was happening today.”
U.S. Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole
Solomon was first off on No. 1 at 6:45 a.m. local time alongside amateur amateur Omar Morales and Deon Germishuys. He credited his early tee time for his stellar start, where he was 4-under after his first 15 holes of U.S. Open golf.
Jacob Solomon is 4-under through 15 holes in the first round of his major championship career.
The last player to lead or co-lead after his first career major round was Andrew Landry at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 15, 2023
“Definitely had the right tee time. I was pumped to see that I was first out,” said Solomon. “I relished that opportunity. I liked it. The liked the way it played.”
The Auburn product by way of Northern California is the same age as two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, and the pair know each other well dating to their junior golf days. During his senior year with the Tigers, Solomon played a lot with then-Oklahoma State star Matthew Wolff, who turned pro and won on Tour shortly after his sophomore season.
“What I like to say is everybody’s timing is different,” said Solomon. “My path is just a little more rocky than most of them.”
Solomon struggled his first few years out of college. He played mini tours, Monday qualifiers, anywhere he could. He worked his way to PGA Tour Canada last season and has since found his way to the Korn Ferry Tour, and now finds himself just one step away from the PGA Tour.
“Really it was just a difference of believing in myself,” said Solomon of how he was able to grind through the difficult years, giving loads of credit to his faith and family. “It’s actually crazy how much power and influence that has when you tell yourself, ‘I can do this.’ I think those things are kind of what carried me through the tough times.”
That, and a little guidance from five-time PGA Tour winner and fellow Auburn grad and resident, Jason Dufner.
“Yeah, Jason has been really helpful in my career. I remember freshman year of college actually he walked all 18 holes with me in a tournament we played, and he came out there. He’s always been a big supporter. He’s a great guy,” said Solomon. “He’s fun to joke around with and we’ll hit golf balls on the range for a couple hours, chat about the golf swing, and obviously he’s one of the greatest Auburn players of all time. It’s an honor to get to share that friendship with him.”
“All he told me was go play as much as you can. Play as many tournaments as you can,” he continued. “That’s how you get experience. When I got in this event, he texted me and said it will be a really great experience for your professional career.”
There’s no way Dufner could have known that Solomon would be on the front page of the leaderboard after day one, especially given his lack of experience in the big moments. But like his first-off tee time, Solomon has embraced the moment and is in position to make the cut in his first U.S. Open appearance.
“It’s one of the coolest days of my life, no doubt.”
