Six Shooters

Rory, Brooks, Cam, Jon and other big names will get most of the air time at the 151st British Open. But here are a half-dozen players you probably won’t hear about in the field of 156: a forklift operator, a salesman turned pro and a long-time grinder, among others. All but one will be teeing it up in their first major. 

‍Michael Stewart

OWGR: 868 

Turned pro: 2011

The skinny: Stewart was on the 2011 Walker Cup team for Great Britain and Ireland, which prevailed over a U.S. squad that included a couple of guys named Spieth and Cantlay. Stewart turned pro that year, but it has been a grind. During Covid, he worked in a hand-sanitizer factory for more than a year. He drove a forklift, delivered packages and whatever else he could do to put money in his pocket. In 2022 he played the now defunct EuroPro Tour and finished top five in the Order of Merit to earn his Challenge Tour card for this season. He has made six of 13 cuts on the Challenge Tour with a best finish of T-11. Stewart has played events around the world chasing his dream. 

‍Graeme Robertson

OWGR: Unranked

Turned pro: 2021

The skinny: On the final qualifying leaderboard, the club each player was attached to was listed. Next to Roberston’s name was Fairways Golf Studios, a couple of indoor training centers in Scotland. I immediately became a fan. Robertson played at a high level during his amateur career, including on the 2012 Palmer Cup team against the U.S., whose squad included Justin Thomas. He then took a sales job and never really pursued a pro career until just a few years ago. He was bored with his job and decided to get his PGA teaching card and started to play competitively. On the fifth playoff hole in final qualifying, Roberson sank a 40-foot putt to earn a spot in his first major, nine years after his last start as a professional.

‍Brandon Robinson-Thompson

OWGR: 812 

Turned pro: 2015

The skinny: An Englishman, Robinson-Thompson played college golf at South Carolina-Aiken and has traveled the world chasing his dream. He played on countless mini-tours in the U.S. before losing his work visa and returning to play in Europe. The LatinoAmerica, Europro, Clutch and Mena Tours have been just a few of the stops along the way. This year he has one of the best mini-tour seasons of the year. It includes three wins on the Clutch Tour and another on the Mena Tour. He also has a glorious man-bun and is part of the Visor Gang.  

‍Kyle Barker

OWGR: 736 

Turned pro: 2017

The skinny: Barker played three events on the Mena Tour in 2017 but hasn’t played a pro event outside of Africa since. Just four years ago, he played on the Big Easy Tour, a developmental circuit of the Sunshine Tour, where the winner typically collects about $4,000. This season his best finish on the Sunshine Tour is a runner-up in the KitKat Cash and Carry Pro-Am. (What an amazing name!) 

‍Zack Fischer 

OWGR: 408 

Turned pro: 2011

The skinny: Fischer nearly quit the game after a terrible mini-tour round in Texas in 2021. His coach persuaded him to return the next day, and he fired a 63. Although he missed the cut by one in that event, he was a medalist at Q-school later that year and has been a Korn Ferry Member ever since. In 2019 he seemed to turn a corner. I sent him a message asking what had changed. “I became a better person,” he replied. He talked about his relationship with his wife, Kaitlin, God, and working on his life outside of golf. Kaitlin worked several jobs to help keep the family afloat. Fischer had never played on the Latinoamerica Tour before heading to the Argentine Open last year, knowing a win meant a spot at the Open Championship. He will now tee it up in his second major. Fischer qualified for the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, but he missed the cut. 

‍Seungsu Han

OWGR: 407

Turned pro: 2009

The skinny: Han won the Korean Open by six to earn his first start in the Open Championship. He played at UNLV before turning pro 14 years ago. Like many on this list, he has played golf on countless tours worldwide, including Canada, Japan (where he has a win), Korea and other places in Asia.