Like Father, Like Son: Holden's Fran Quinn Won the Playoff to Qualify for US Open

Owen Quinn celebrates his dad Fran’s win at the 2000 Florida Classic; Owen and Fran Quinn advance through U.S. Open Local Qualifying. (PGA TOUR Archive; Courtesy of Mass Golf)

Fran Quinn, son Owen advanced to U.S. Open Final Qualifying with the same score at the same site

57-year-old Fran Quinn makes field

At age 49, Fran Quinn earned a spot at the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 by advancing through both Local and Final Qualifying.

Quinn’s son Owen, 15 at the time, caddied through all stages of qualifying, and at Pinehurst, where Fran made a birdie on the final hole to share second place through the opening round.

“My dad was in the second-to-last tee time of 10,” recalled Owen, “he hit a beautiful shot up to about 2 feet, knocked it in, and gave me a big hug. He was so happy; it was the happiest I had seen him.

“Just a 49-year-old journeyman from Massachusetts playing the U.S. Open, and there he is shooting 68. There were so many people texting us that night, and everything was so cool.”

Fran and Owen competed in the same U.S. Open Local Qualifying site (Taconic GC in Massachusetts) in 2022, each carding 1-over 72 on a rainy, windy day and earning two of the five available Final Qualifying berths via the site.

Fran, now 57, has been a frequent presence on PGA TOUR Champions since turning 50. Owen, now 23, is a year removed from completing his master’s degree in engineering and technology entrepreneurship from Lehigh University, where he completed a double major in finance and accounting the year prior. He was the captain on the Lehigh men’s golf team, turned pro after graduation, and is pursuing his dreams of following in the professional golf footsteps of his dad, a four-time Korn Ferry Tour winner.

And it’s not just any U.S. Open. The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, is situated just 45 minutes from the Quinn family residence in Holden, Massachusetts.

“Obviously you want to play any U.S. Open regardless of where it is; that’s a given,” remarked Owen. “But if there’s ever one that you’d mark on a calendar and really want to get in, for us, it was definitely this one.

This spring, the night before registration opened for U.S. Open qualifying, Owen informed Fran of his plans to register for the Taconic GC site – along with his cousin Matthew, a 16-year-old high school golfer in Massachusetts.

“I called him on the ride home,” Fran remembered. “I said, ‘Hey when you enter yourself, enter me. I’m going.’ He goes, ‘All right, let’s go.’”

At the first day qualifier, Fran and Owen teed off at the same time, but off opposite nines. The site offered nine-hole scoring but not hole-by-hole; after making the turn at 3-over, Fran checked to see where he stood. Owen’s group was playing slightly ahead at the time.

“Owen was at 3-under; my nephew (Matthew) was at 1-over, tied for third, and I was 3-over at the time,” Fran remembered. “I said, ‘Wow, I’m getting waxed by the youngster, my kid, everybody!’ And so, I said, ‘I’ve got to get going.’”

Fran did just that, making a 15-foot birdie at his final hole to post 1-over 72. Owen stumbled a bit coming in but had carded the same 1-over score, finishing shortly before his dad.

“I finished before my dad, and I knew he had made the turn in 3-over, so I was trying to swing around … saw him come up the hill,” Owen said. “He said he had finished at 1-over, just made a 15-foot birdie, so I was like, ‘Nice.’ We had to wait it out a bit, and probably 30 minutes after we finished, it was clear that we were both going to get through and get to Final Qualifying.”

Fran Quinn | Open Road: The Path to Brookline | Golf Digest

The second-day qualifier round proved worth it for the 57-year-old player. Fran earned his first U.S. Open berth since 2014 with a birdie on the second playoff hole of final qualifying, and he’ll be playing the next at The Country Club in Brookline.

“My son was trying and I was like, ‘Hey, come on, let’s both try to get in the Open,'” Fran said. “He had a great opening round. I was fortunate to sneak in. I’m sure he’s going to have an opportunity to play in a bunch of these.”

It was part of a long day of 36-hole final qualifying, from California and Oregon, across Ohio, to New York, and down to Florida. Up for grabs were 49 spots to fill the 156-man field for The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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