A good day's work

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James Nicholas ’19 plays a tee shot in the first round of this year’s US Open. Nicholas finished the round tied for sixth, a remarkable feat for his first major tournament. View full image

In the first round of the US Open at the challenging Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania in June, only ten players finished their day under par. Next to former winners like Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm, a relatively unknown name appeared among those tied for sixth: James Nicholas ’19, who had shot a one-under-par 69. “To beat all the top ten players in the world in round one, that was just a pinch-me sort of moment,” says the Scarsdale native and burgeoning pro. “I’m working toward being one of those top ten players. But right now, I’m not. I think I’m [ranked] like 450, and these days stick with you. They provide a lot of confidence, and they keep you going on this journey that takes a lot of mental fortitude.”

For Nicholas, just making the US Open field fulfilled a lifelong dream. In the egalitarian but grueling process of qualifying for the tournament, a few dozen spots are awarded each year through “Golf’s Longest Day,” consisting of 36 holes in one day at courses across the country. Nicholas had attempted qualifying “9 or 10 of the last 11 years,” and battled through some early nerves at his qualifier in Summit, New Jersey, to find his groove and win the event, booking his spot to Oakmont. 

Two weeks later, at the Open, the former high school state champion experienced the “roller coaster” of practice rounds with golf legends and behind-the-scenes access before his sensational round-one performance. In the second round, Nicholas faltered early but birdied four holes on the back nine to qualify for the weekend rounds, making the cut in his first-ever major. He finished tied for 61st.

“Making the cut was a dream come true,” Nicholas says. “I want to get back there and hopefully be in contention next time.” 

Nicholas credits his professional poise to the discipline he learned in his freshman year at Yale, when he played football for head coach Tony Reno. “We were on ‘Bulldog Time,’ meaning you had to be at every meeting ten minutes early. You had to be at practice ten minutes early, and if you were nine minutes early, you were one minute late,” says Nicholas. “Once I turned pro, I kept those core values, I kept that time management system, and I kept those mental practices that I learned when I was playing Yale football.” 

The path wasn’t always obvious for Nicholas, whose family has strong connections to football: His grandfather, and later his father, served as team orthopedist for the New York Jets. (His late grandfather was credited with having saved Joe Namath’s football career.) But after freshman year, he focused exclusively on golf, flourishing under former coach Colin Sheehan ’97. “He just allowed me to excel. He didn’t put any pressure on me,” Nicholas explains. “That was huge when you’re a developing golfer and you might not be a super talented kid who plays well every single day.” By the end of his Yale career, Nicholas was twice the Ivy League Player of the Year and a two-time NCAA qualifier.

Nicholas’s goal is to eventually be among the world’s elite golfers. For now, he’s playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour where only the top 20 players each season earn promotion to golf’s premier level. But he has a clear checklist of goals to hit on his way to the top, he says: “Winning on the Korn Ferry Tour, then getting to the PGA Tour, then winning on the PGA Tour, and then winning a major, and then being world number one.”

As Nicholas continues his climb, he’s also telling his story online via social media to inspire the next generation. “I’m trying to say, ‘Hey, you know, if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything,’” Nicholas says. One recent viral post, seen millions of times, saw the former academic All-American providing a detailed accounting of his winnings and expenses from the US Open. A tie for 61st garnered Nicholas $43,544. After expenses? $34,894. Not a bad few days at the office for someone who has spent years grinding through qualifiers, but Nicholas is hoping he’s just getting started.