Korn Ferry Tour professional James Nicholas shot a one-over-par 71 in the opening round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. The social media personality, known for his transparent approach to the sport, overcame two double-bogeys to remain in contention on a difficult, windy day.
Nicholas, who has a large following on YouTube and Instagram, began his day before dawn to document the experience. “I’m trying to film some behind the scenes of what it’s like to play in the U.S. Open. I put them on and talked to myself, talked to the fans and try to,” he said of using Meta glasses to film. His round, which started at 6:35 a.m., was interrupted by fog but did not disrupt his focus. His score of 71, which included four birdies, briefly gave him the clubhouse lead.
He is competing in his second consecutive U.S. Open, having qualified after a friend located a lost ball in the foliage during a final qualifier, a moment that likely saved him a crucial stroke. At Shinnecock, Nicholas adopted a mindset of aggressive play with low expectations, a contrast to his weekly tour life. “But out here you almost have like this, ‘Let’s just send it and see what happens.’ You put less pressure on yourself, put less stress,” he explained.
This approach is a direct response to his experience a year ago, where a strong opening round was followed by a second-round 78. “[In] Round 2 I struggled because I put all that pressure onto myself, and you have expectation,” Nicholas admitted. He has been working with a mental coach to address a self-described fear of failure. “It’s like I want to do so well. Once I put myself in position, you get scared, you have this fear of failure,” he said.
After a solid opening, the primary test for Nicholas will be to maintain his composure in the second round and build on his promising start, avoiding the pressure that derailed him previously.
