William Mouw sits at even-par through two rounds of the U.S. Open, surviving a difficult sequence that tested the mental fortitude he developed working on his family’s California egg farm. He enters the weekend seven shots off the lead.
The world number 131 was tied for second place late in his round on Friday before a series of unfortunate bounces on the par-5 16th hole led to a double-bogey seven. An otherwise solid approach shot hit the flagstick and spun back into a bunker, derailing his momentum. Mouw acknowledged the difficulty but maintained his perspective. “Yeah, it was pretty unfortunate, but over the course of a tournament, you’re going to get bad breaks,” he said.
His response was immediate. On the 17th, Mouw saved par from a greenside bunker with a 10-foot putt, prompting a rare fist-pump. “That one meant a lot to me just because of what happened on 16. It was pretty unfortunate. To see that lip in [on 17], I think that was just, you know, a tap to a positive attitude and a little bit of grittiness,” Mouw stated. He followed it with another up-and-down for par on the 18th hole to steady his round.
Mouw’s father, Billy, attributes his son’s resilience to his upbringing at Billy’s Egg Farm, where the work is constant. “The chickens lay eggs every day, even Christmas, so oftentimes, our family would be out there gathering eggs on Christmas, yup,” he explained. That background provides a unique foundation for the pressures of major championship golf. Mouw later added, “So, you know, honestly, sometimes in a major championship, double is OK. Would have liked to save bogey, but I had a lot of great saves on the back nine. To finish with two great up-and-downs on 17 and 18 was just the way to bounce back and stay in a positive mindset.”
Now positioned for the weekend, Mouw faces the challenge of closing a significant gap on the leader. His ability to recover from setbacks will be critical as he navigates the final two rounds in just his third career major appearance.
