PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — It’s a round of golf on a course he’s played before.
It’s a step on his career path, a natural progression, he says.
It’s a moment, a major moment, but it’s not too big a moment for 20-year-old Spencer Tibbits, who Thursday will step to the No. 10 tee at the singular Pebble Beach Golf Links for his first swing in the first round of his first U.S. Open Golf Championship.
The Fort Vancouver High School alum, one of 14 amateurs in the field, will open his Open on the back nine, at 2:42 p.m. Thursday, the last tee slot of the day, along with fellow amateur Hayden Shieh of Fremont, Calif., and Connor Arendell of Cape Coral, Fla. Tibbits will start from No. 1 on Friday at 8:57 a.m.
Tibbits earned his spot in the Open at the Wine Valley sectional qualifier in Walla Walla on June 3.
There will be nerves, Tibbits said.
“It’s something I’m really excited about,” he said. “It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a little kid — I’m just excited for myself and everybody else who’s been involved in my journey.
“Me and everybody in my corner are very happy to be here right now.”
Tibbits talks about his “inner circle” like an elite professional athlete might. His “people” are family, in one sense or another: His parents, his teammates and coaching staff at Oregon State, his swing coach, his friends … he credits them all for helping him get where he is.
One of those friends, Keith Lobis, a Union High grad and current player for Gonzaga University, will be his caddie this week.
Professional golf is a definite goal for Tibbits, yet it’s a move he won’t rush to make. The sociology major (and Pac-12 all-academic honorable mention) said he can’t believe he’s already halfway through his four years playing for the Beavers.
“The coaching staff are awesome, and my teammates, I have so much fun with those guys, definitely some of the best times of my life being with those guys.”
OSU coaches haven’t developed his game as much as built his confidence and supported his goals, Tibbitts said
“They gave me a chance to play against some of the greatest amateurs in the world,” he said.
Tibbits played a practice round Monday morning to refamiliarize himself with the course he’s played several times, the last time competitively at 16 in the First Tee Open.
“I tried to get used to the course, obviously,” he said. “Since the last time I played here it’s completely different. It wasn’t a U.S. Open setup. I just tried to get used to the atmosphere and the course.”
Tibbits first picked up a golf club at age 3. His first coaching came at 6 from the First Tee youth golf program.
At Fort Vancouver, Tibbits was a three-time state champion for the Trappers (2014, 2016, 2017) and was named 3A Greater St. Helens League player of the year all four years.
Now, the stage is bigger.
“I’m just here, trying to soak in the experience of playing against these guys,” he said. “If I play well enough to make the weekend, so be it. If not, I’d like to think there will be other opportunities.
“It will be a learning experience for me, regardless of what happens.”
