Kevin Coombs asked his son, Connor, to caddy for him during the defining moment of his 42-year golf career.
The general manager of the Green Mountain golf course, in Camas, will be playing in the Senior U.S. Open Championship Thursday, July 11, at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club.
“I am incredibly excited and nervous,” Kevin Coombs said. “It’s not like I practice or play a lot. I just happened to have a good round at the right time.”
Coombs shot a 1-under par 72 June 24, at the Willamette Valley Country Club. He then won a 2-hole playoff to qualify for the Open as a first alternate. All he needed was for a spot to open up.
Coombs returned to Willamette Valley CC Monday to play in the Oregon Chapter PGA Championships. After shooting rounds of 75 and 78 strokes, Coombs called his wife, Minda, and she told him to pack his bags. He’s going to Omaha.
“Thirty years ago, this is something I was trying to do but had never been able to achieve that quality,” he said. “To finally be able to experience something like this just once is amazing.”
Connor Coombs couldn’t caddy during the qualifying round because he had a baseball game to play. When he found out his father was going to play in the Senior U.S. Open, he wanted to be by his side.
“I knew my dad was good at golf, but I never thought he would qualify for the [Senior U.S. Open],” Connor said. “I can’t believe I’m going to be able to step through the ropes and experience this with him.”
Read more about this story in Tuesday’s print edition of the Post-Record.
