It was the kind of shot that could not have been real. It must have come from a movie script.
Except it was real.
On Sean Barrett's second-to-last hole of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship, the Penn junior hit a wedge shot from 117 yards out that fell into the cup for an eagle en route to a 140.
A 141, and the Pacific Palisades, Calif., native would have been back on the beach.
Instead, he had reached the biggest tournament of his golf career.
"It's definitely the top," Barrett said. "There's no question about it."
At the tournament, Barrett followed a four-over 74 with a 77, finishing in a tie for 138th place and missing the cut for match play.
Nonetheless, he was pleased with his effort in the top tournament for amateur golfers, held this year at Merion Golf Club and Philadelphia Country Club.
Part of what made the qualifying so special was Barrett's relationship with his caddy who accompanied him to Northern California for qualifying.
Greg Heidt, now a Cornell student, caddied for Barrett. Heidt and Barrett attended high school together and have been friendly since their preschool days.
"He knows everything there is to know about nutrition and staying healthy," Barrett said of Heidt. "I was trying to do everything I could to keep in shape."
Something else that heightened the significance of qualifying this year was the history surrounding the tournament.
Seventy-five years ago, golf great Bobby Jones won golf's Grand Slam, which then consisted of the British Amateur, the British Open, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. He finished out his sweep of the four events with a U.S. Amateur victory at Merion Golf Club, one of this year's venues.
And while Barrett could not match Jones' victory in suburban Philadelphia, he did enjoy taking in the festivities associated with the anniversary.
Barrett was described by coach Rob Powelson as a "weekend warrior," as his summer job in the banking industry prevented him from playing on a regular basis this summer.
"He's one of those players who's got an uncanny knack to not be playing in a competitive environment for a while, go out and shoot a two-day four-under score to qualify for the U.S. Amateur," Powelson said.
And Powelson will be looking for more performances like that -- and like Barrett's second-place finish at the Ivy League tournament last season.
"This is a huge shot in the arm for Penn golf going into this year," Powelson said.
"It's raised the bar on the expectations going into the season."
The Quakers, who finished third in the Ivy League tournament's team component last season, will practice more as a team in their quest for a title.
More time won't hurt either.
"We had a lot of talent on the team last year; it was just a very young team," Barrett said.
"I think you can expect some very good things."
