He’s had a dream 2022 so far, and it all got dreamier on Thursday for MJ Daffue as he carded an opening three-under-par 67 to take a share of second after the first round of the US Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The reaction of South African fans was largely, “Who?” But if they’d been watching more closely, they would have seen this coming. He has overcome adversity from his home base in Texas this year, is riding high on the Korn Ferry Tour rankings, has already locked up his promotion to the PGA Tour for next season, and then, a week ago, played his way through a gruelling 36-hole qualifier to get into his first major championship.
It has given him a freedom which has allowed him to play as well as he knows he can. “I’ve really tried to come into this week not putting too much pressure on myself, just trusting that I have everything right now that I want,” he said after his round put him a shot off the lead which was held by Canada’s Adam Hadwin at four-under-par.
He’s in a share of second with Rory McIlroy and three other qualifiers in England’s Callum Tarren, Sweden’s David Lingmerth and American Joel Dahmen. “My life is really good,” Daffue added. “I have a great family, and everybody is healthy, and I think I’m just being grateful for things. Eventually this is just a game. We’re playing against the best in the world, and it’s just a privilege to be here.”
How did he get there? He was born in Pretoria, and was introduced to golf at age four and grew up competing against PGA Tour winners Erik van Rooyen, Dylan Frittelli, and five-time DP World Tour winner George Coetzee.
At school, he was especially good at cricket and rugby, and the decision to commit to golf full-time came a few years after Daffue had the opportunity to play golf with his idol and countryman Retief Goosen just five months before Goosen won his first of two US Opens in 2001.
“My dad gave me a call, ‘Listen, I’m gonna come get you from school, and we’re going to go play a round of golf.’ I showed up and we’re playing with Retief. I still remember it as if it happened right now, standing behind him on the first tee,” Daffue said.
The two bonded that day at Centurion Country Club, and Goosen became a mentor and someone Daffue could call for advice on and off the golf course.
And Daffue has tapped into that resource ahead of his date at this US Open: “I spoke to him, yes,” he said. “We never really talked about advice. The one time I asked him, I said, ‘Hey, how do you do so well under pressure in US Opens?’ He said, ‘I’ve just done it a few times.’ It makes a lot of sense, actually. The more you do it, the more you get used to it.
“But he has just been encouraging. He has been sending me encouraging messages like, listen, the ability is there. It’s just how do you put it together and believe in yourself.”
His belief was strong enough to see him start like a house on fire at Brookline, with three birdies in his first five holes, after starting his first major championship round on the 10th. Things went a little pear-shaped after that for a while, with three bogeys and a birdie in his next four holes. But, in the US Open, if you can turn in one-under, you’re in a good spot. He didn’t drop another shot on the homeward nine, picking up birdies on four and eight to put himself right in the mix.
“We had a good strategy,” said Daffue of himself and his coach who is on his bag this week. “I drove the ball pretty decent. The times I missed the fairway, I missed it in good spots, and so, yeah, execution of the strategy, and I would say I can’t believe how relaxed I was out there. I was able to feel my hands, and that’s a big deal.”
He’s also very aware of how things have played into his hands this week: “I would say this year especially, being able to have a schedule on the Korn Ferry Tour, I’ve seen this weird thing where I play really well my third week in a row. I almost don’t like saying this, but this is my third week in a row, so every third week in a row I’ve had a top-five finish.”
If that happens, there won’t be so many South African fans wondering who the heck MJ Daffue is.
The next best South African was Shaun Norris on level-par in a share of 26th. Branden Grace was on six-over in a share of 125th, Louis Oosthuizen in a share of 136th on seven-over and Erik van Rooyen battled to an eight-over and a share of 144th.
