“I was eating lunch with my old teammate,” Conway said of when he found out he’ll play in the Open. “I was taking three bites of the perfect pastrami sandwich I made [when I got the call] and didn’t even finish my meal.”
Conway shot a two-under-par 140 in the sectional qualifier in Roslyn, Wash. and now becomes the 31st player in the 156-man field at the Open to have gone through 18-hole local and 36-hole sectional qualifying.
“I’ve been in and out of my suitcase,” Conway said. “I had to do laundry one day and my stuff wasn’t even dry. I had to put it in a plastic bag and dry it later. It’s been a rush.”
It’s been so hetic that Conway said he met his caddie when he took the red-eye from Long Beach Airport to make it to the Open.
“I actually sat next to him on the plane,” he said. “[My caddie] is a sales rep from TaylorMade and he’s the caddie master from a local club three miles down. He’s really a nice guy and it should be fun.”
Conway, who lives in Murrieta, was an All-American in 2003 and received honorable mention in All-American voting in 2004. He was the top money winner on the Golden State Tour in 2006 and 2007.
Conway, who currently plays on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, earned $17,419 last year in the Canadian Professional Golf Tour.
In 11 events, he made seven cuts and his best finish was tied for third at the ATB Financial Classic.
His last Canadian Tour tournament was June 8 at the City of Surrey Invitational where he was nine-under par in the last three rounds to finish tied for 24th.
