PGA TOUR rookie Kevin Velo had a “wake-up call” at the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills, grouped for two rounds with a certain Scottie Scheffler.

“It’s the hardest golf course I’ve ever seen in my life,” Velo recalled. “It was a U.S. Open setup. … I’m even through six, and he’s 4 under through six, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a little different.’ That was the first time I realized, ‘Wow, I need to get a lot better.’

“I was thinking I was a hotshot showing up; it was my first-ever big event, I had never played in any big amateur event. And I was watching him like, ‘Yeah, we’re a long way away.’”

Considering Scheffler’s ascension to world No. 1, Velo needn’t have been too hard on himself. Scheffler was fresh off the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, his debut in a major championship, and fast-tracking toward a professional career that has included 16 PGA TOUR wins before age 29. Velo had just completed his freshman year at San Jose State, without the pedigree to suggest eventual PGA TOUR membership – he played more soccer than golf in his upbringing, and San Jose State was the only school to offer him a scholarship (a modest one at that, roughly $1,200 for books). It’s conceivable that those two rounds alongside Scheffler would’ve marked the high point of Velo’s time in competitive golf.

Yet the humbling experience didn’t discourage Velo. It fueled him.

The Californian diligently progressed through the ranks, earning his first PGA TOUR card via the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour to join the world’s best players (including Scheffler) at the game’s highest level. And this week, Velo will make his major-championship debut at the U.S. Open at Oakmont – nine years after Scheffler’s major debut at the same venue.

Velo punched his ticket to Oakmont at 36-hole Final Qualifying in Canada, deftly navigating Lambton Golf & Country Club with rounds of 65-67 on "Golf’s longest day" a week ago. Velo, 27, has struggled to date in his rookie PGA TOUR campaign – he has made just three cuts in 14 starts and stands No. 176 on the FedExCup. Two weeks ago, he played a Korn Ferry Tour event after failing to qualify for the Charles Schwab Challenge on his number – and missed the cut. Things were looking bleak.

Velo needed something to go right, and on a marathon Monday in Toronto, it did.

“It’s awesome. We’ve worked really hard,” Velo said after qualifying for the U.S. Open. “I haven’t got the results this year on TOUR yet, but we’re playing good, we’re trending a lot, and this is a great day to get through … to do the mental battle of all of it. … It’s awesome to get it done.

“It’s extremely hard (to stay positive through struggles). Comparison is a very easy thing to do out there, and you see guys that are playing well, you see your buddies playing well, and you know you can do it, and then you’re not putting the scores together. .… I’ve dealt with a lot of mental stuff this year, … and I made a switch a couple weeks ago just to choose to be a little happier out there. Kind of channeling that.”

With just 10 events remaining before the TOUR's postseason, it’s an opportune time for Velo to kick-start a summertime charge toward the top 70 for a FedExCup Playoffs berth (majors offer elevated FedExCup points as well). The top 100 after the FedExCup Fall retain full PGA TOUR status for 2026, also of concern in the mind’s eye.

Velo doesn’t shy away from the oft-turbulent emotions of professional golf, so it’s understandable he felt a slight chill after qualifying for his first U.S. Open – and he intends to relish the challenge. It’s a triumphant touchpoint in a years-long odyssey for Velo, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area as a baseball pitcher and a soccer goalie and envisioned playing soccer in college. Golf was simply a pleasant pastime at first: He was introduced to the game by his aunt and uncle in his early teenage years; his aunt Eileen would take him to the driving range at The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon, California, while his mom was at work. (Velo’s mom Maureen, was a longtime Spanish teacher, and his dad Jose, a Spanish immigrant, worked his way up to third in command at the San Francisco Fire Department before retiring in 2022).

Golf-wise, Velo didn’t possess immediate natural ability. He tried out for his high school golf team as a freshman but failed to make either the varsity or junior varsity squad. But his tireless work ethic (inspired by his dad, as he said emotionally in his PGA TOUR rookie interview last fall) kept him from settling. He progressed enough in high school that San Jose State gave him the opportunity to compete as essentially a walk-on, and he ran with the opportunity, ultimately earning All-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior in 2018-19. Velo worked his way through the PGA TOUR Pathways, finishing fourth on the 2022 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica standings to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card – and finishing 15th on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour standings to earn his first TOUR card.

Velo’s season hasn’t been anything special to this point – but plenty of season remains. What better place than Oakmont to make a splash?

“My coach and I did kind of a swing overhaul this past week,” Velo said on Golf’s longest day. “I’ve been really struggling with ball-striking; after I missed the cut in Knoxville, I was super frustrated, … went back to the drawing board, looked at a bunch of golf swings and figured out what I needed to do. … I was stacking a little bit left and flipping at the bottom, but now I’m shifting more right and getting into it better, and balls are coming out flatter with a ton more spin. Everything’s starting out in a window, which I really like.

“This (qualifying) is a win. No matter how you look at it, it’s a win. I haven’t won anything since Colombia (on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour), and even if I don’t finish first, if I get into the U.S. Open, it’s a win. It’s a lot to build off of. … I’ve only watched it on TV; I haven’t even thought about being able to qualify. To play, especially at a historic place like Oakmont, it couldn’t be better.”

Velo is one of five PGA TOUR rookies in this week’s U.S. Open field at Oakmont, joined by Will Chandler, Rasmus Højgaard, Thriston Lawrence and Niklas Norgaard.

Chandler and Norgaard each qualified for Oakmont via Final Qualifying. Norgaard carded rounds of 64-69 at the Canada qualifier, and Chandler posted 70-63 at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. They’ll each play the U.S. Open for the first time.

Denmark’s Højgaard and South Africa’s Lawrence earned their spots as the top two players on the DP World Tour’s 2024 Race to Dubai, not otherwise exempt. They’ll each compete in the U.S. Open for the second time. Højgaard has made eight career major starts, highlighted by a T32 at this year’s Masters. Lawrence has also made eight major starts, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at last year’s Open Championship – where he led on the back nine Sunday at Royal Troon.

Click here for how all TOUR rookies have fared to date in 2025.