D.C. native George Duangmanee, 23, has been golfing since age 7. Read on to hear about his debut at the U.S. Open, and the stunning, daunting beauty of one of the world’s most famous tennis tournaments. The U.S. Open competition this year was held at Oakmont Country Club, well known for its challenging course set up and deep roots in professional golf. Even as he battled extraordinary challenges on the course, Duangmanee proved remarkable poise and talent, ending the tournament five over par.
Despite the ups and downs, Duangmanee’s experience at the U.S. Open was a memorable one. In fact, early in his first round he hit a real low, carding an eye-popping front nine of 47. He had a bizarre occurrence on the fourth hole, when he played a game of ping pong on the green. Instead, he made a disastrous quadruple bogey. His struggles only deepened, highlighted by four double bogeys on the day. Those types of scores, particularly approaching 40 per nine holes, are a blight on the game at the elite level.
The talented young golfer bounced back in style during his next few rounds. Having shot two under-par rounds, Duangmanee comfortably made the cut, demonstrating his impressive knack for bouncing back from mistakes made earlier in the tournament. This was a huge victory for him. Just a small number of golfers are able to truly rise above the unique pressures of the U.S. Open and emerge with astounding performances.
Even with the odds stacked against him, Duangmanee’s debut had its share of widely impressive highlights. On the last hole of that tournament, his tee shot went into a fairway bunker. This disappointment did nothing to assuage the grim realities of the day. He rallied to do well with a final score of 89. That tied him for the second-highest score in a single round at the U.S. Open over the past two decades.
Duangmanee’s family attended to cheer on their son as he took this huge step in his young professional career. His parents, brother, grandfather and girlfriend all made the trip to Pittsburgh to see his accomplishment in person. I’m sure seeing them out there gave him additional motivation through his highs and lows on the course.
As for his career path, just like the road he traveled to come here, Duangmanee went pro in 2024 upon graduating from the University of Virginia. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina in May 2025. His historic participation in the U.S. Open is already a landmark in a developing career that has shown success from the start.
Moving forward, Duangmanee is optimistic, intending to take at least three or four days off. He’s looking forward to enjoying some much overdue, quality family time, post tournament. We hope this time will give him a chance to process all that he experienced at Oakmont and restore him before rejoining the fray of competitive play.
Leave a Reply