It was at the 134th Open at St. Andrews that former Marquette golfer Oliver (OJ) Farrell watched Tiger Woods complete his second career grand slam and win his 10th Major title.
He realized then, in 2005 at nine years old, that, like Tiger, he could see himself playing golf’s biggest test on the biggest stage.
Nearly 20 years later, on July 1, at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club in Burnham-on-Sea, United Kingdom, Farrell competed in the longest day of golf and qualified for the 153rd Open after scoring 68-68 to shoot 6-under-par over 36 holes and secure the fifth and final spot for Royal Portrush.
It brought him full-circle from his memory with Tiger.
“This is his Masters,” said Marquette head coach Steve Bailey, who made the trip to Northern Ireland to watch Farrell. “This is the pinnacle of his sport, and to aspire to do it your whole life, and to watch and see his game stack up with the best in the world, it was a great affirmation for him to know his game belongs.”
Farrell became just the second Marquette golf alumnus to compete in a Major, joining Mike Van Sickle, who golfed at MU from 2005-09 and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. He also joined Van Sickle as the only other M Club Hall of Fame honoree this summer.
“It makes me proud [to be the second],” Farrell said. “I have the Marquette logo on my bag and on my yardage book cover. To get to represent them at The Open was pretty special.”
Farrell represented the university amongst the world’s best players. The 2018-19 Big East Player of the Year played with J.J. Spaun, Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day among others during his practice rounds.
“[Marquette] was a massive part of how I’ve been able to be successful as a professional. Having teammates to compete against every day and a coach who is always trying get the best out of me helped me develop as a player.”
Farrell’s relationship with Bailey was a key contributor to Farrell’s commitment to the university. It didn’t take long for Bailey’s trip to Portrush this summer to come together.
“He called me right away and said he had a badge for me and wanted me to be a part of it,” Bailey said. “It was really special to get to spend the week with his family and some friends, too.”
Farrell knew he would save an inside-the-ropes badge for Bailey.
“Coach Bailey was the reason I became a Golden Eagle,” Farrell said. “He wasn’t just a coach; he’s like a family member. To come out and support me it was a special moment for the both of us.”
Farrell missed the cut at Royal Portrush by three strokes, located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, after posting rounds of 3-over par 74 and 1-over par 72. Even while having to play the last two holes in darker conditions on day one, Farrell still believes his tournament was proof that he can compete at the highest level.
His first nine on Thursday and second nine on Friday were both under par.
“On a major championship venue I may not have put whole rounds together, but over 36 holes there’s so much [good] in there,” Farrell said. “Everything’s there. My game is as good as these guys, it’s just little bits and pieces that makes a difference.”
Farrell had two birdies and a bogey in his opening nine of the tournament for a first nine of 1-under par 35, and he closed out his tournament with two birdies on the back nine Friday for 2-under par 33.
“[Portrush] is a different kind of links,” Farrell said. “All the greens are elevated, and with links courses being firm, you can’t run the ball up there. The fairways are quite narrow, so the course was demanding, and you have to step up and hit your shots.”
Bailey said that having Marquette represented on the Major stage was special and could have the same impact on the current Marquette team like Tiger had for OJ back in 2005.
“When it happens and you see one of your guys on that stage, you look back and think of all the special things that made it possible,” Bailey said. “You look at what helped get him there and he said a lot throughout the week that he wouldn’t be here without his Marquette experiences.”
“Those guys on the current team or are in the professional ranks that played here look and say that they could do that too and like their chances of making it to that level,” Bailey said. “It was a proud moment for our program, and I was overjoyed for him, too.”
This story was written by Trevor Hilson. He can be reached at trevor.hilson@marquette.edu or @hilsontrevor on Twitter/X.