Who Is This Guy? Nick Hardy's Career Progression Has Been Slow, But He's in Contention at Brookline

The unheralded former Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American at Illinois is off to a fast start at the U.S. Open, 3 under through 36 holes.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — The time-honored blueprint for how to win a U.S. Open is simple: drive the ball in the fairway and attack the golf course from the short grass. Nick Hardy followed that script Friday, as he drove his way up the leaderboard in the 122nd U.S. Open, carding a 2-under 68 in the second round to move to 3 under for the tournament, right in the thick of it.

Driving is the strength of Hardy’s game, so it might seem that U.S. Open setups are a perfect match for the 26-year-old. But as an amateur, Hardy played in two U.S. Opens in 2015 and 2016, plus one as a professional in 2019, and his only made cut came in 2015, with a 52nd-place finish.

“It's not really a course you can just totally overpower, and I appreciate that about it,” Hardy said of The Country Club composite course. “Very slopey greens and small greens, so you're just trying to play on the right side of the hole the whole day and not necessarily try to make a lot of birdies, just try to be stringing together a lot of good holes.”

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Two weeks ago, at the NV5 Invitational on the Korn Ferry Tour, Hardy returned from a left wrist injury that required him to take about 30 days off from mid-April through mid-May and lost in a three-hole playoff to Englishman Harry Hall. It was the best professional finish of his career.

“He’s not here by accident,” said Mike Small, Hardy’s coach at the University of Illinois, in a phone call on Friday. "This is what he plays for.”

While playing for Small, Hardy was a 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year and 2018 All-American.

Small spent time with Hardy early this week at The Country Club, and he said the course not only sets up perfectly for Hardy's reliable driving, but the small greens are also good for him. Small calls Hardy the best putter he's ever coached.

Hardy subluxated the ECU tendon in his wrist and tore his subsheath while playing in the in the final round at the Zurich Classic. He felt a pop at the bottom of the swing, and as he finished the round, he didn't do any extra damage.

He spoke to Tour rookie Sahith Theegala, who had recovered from a more substantial injury, and he advised Hardy to shut everything down to recover.

The injury gave Hardy a little time to reflect and gain a better perspective about professional golf. He realized that he doesn’t need to be spending six, seven, eight hours a day grinding.

“It showed me how far I've come in this game, I think, because I don't need to be touching a club every day to keep at it and keep my feels right, so that's crucial,” Hardy said. “But it slowed me down. I made some changes kind of in lifestyle things. I started doing some things that helped me slow down.”

The leaderboard features a mix of players at varying points in their careers, all focused on winning the U.S. Open, but Hardy is here with a dual purpose: winning the U.S. Open, and also keeping his card.

“I feel like I have gotten better and better year after year since I was a really young kid,” Hardy said. “Maybe not as fast as I would like, but I kind of progress at my own pace, and I feel like I have understood that for a while now. I feel like I have enough experience under my belt to be ready to play well this weekend.”

More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:

> At a Crossroads, Is Bryson DeChambeau Going in the Right Direction?
> Scottie Scheffler, World No. 1 and Under the Radar, Is Contending
> What to Watch in Round 3: Big Shots, Big Names (Or Not) and a Full Day
> Phil Mickelson Shoots 73 Friday, Ending a Chaotic Couple Weeks
> Little-Known Guys Are Taking a Starring Role In This U.S. Open
> U.S. Open Day 2: Live Scores, Updates
> Rory McIlroy Is One Shot Back With the Mindset That It Feels Like the First Time
> Sergio Garcia Leads Large LIV Contingent Missing the Cut at U.S. Open

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