Area golfer competes in U.S. Open

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Michael Davan is about to realize a dream, and is only 26 years old.

After a handful of years coming up agonizingly short in year past, the former IUPUI golfer and Indianapolis resident will compete at the U.S. Open at Chamber’s Bay in Washington.

His reaction when he nailed that final putt in last week’s qualifier to put him in the field was priceless.

“Didn’t really know what to feel honestly,” said Davan. “I was really excited obviously, my caddy and best friend that I’ve known since I was five was there and I looked at him like, ‘I’m going to the U.S. Open, and I’m pretty pumped.’”

By his own count, Davan, a central Illinois native has missed qualifying for minor league tour events to the PGA Tour by one stroke seven times over the past two years, so this is a breakthrough.

“The last three holes, I definitely could feel a little bit more pressure and intensity, but it was good to draw back on those experiences and really be able to put those to the test and get it done,” said Davan.

He is one of the few out of 9,000 who made it from the local qualifiers, and that has made him confident. His mom, dad, and his wife, who is also a golfer, will be on hand to offer support.

“I’m going out there to compete,” added Davan. “I’m not going out there to, hey, there’s such-and-such, or I want to go out there and perform at a high level and really kick things off for my career.”

Davan said if he is able to make the cut at the U.S. Open, he’ll have a leg up on qualifying school which could lead him to another dream of making the PGA Tour.