It's 'Hammer Time' With 15-Year-Old Golfer Cole Hammer at the US Open

A soon-to-be high school sophomore is about to make golf history.

ByABC News
June 18, 2015, 8:15 AM
Cole Hammer of the United States hits a tee shot on the 11th hole during a practice round prior to the start of the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay, June 15, 2015 in University Place, Wash.
Cole Hammer of the United States hits a tee shot on the 11th hole during a practice round prior to the start of the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay, June 15, 2015 in University Place, Wash.
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

— -- Cole Hammer might look like your average teen, but the soon-to-be high school sophomore is about to make golf history. At 15, the young Texan is the third-youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Thanks to a recent growth spurt, Hammer is now all of 5-foot-9 and 125 pounds, but he still has parental supervision: His dad, Gregg, moonlights as Hammer's caddy. The teen may not be old enough to get behind the wheel yet, but he’s definitely driving with the big boys.

“Playing with all these pros … I mean, you see them on TV. You kind of look up to them so you know it’s really cool to be able to play with them, hit balls next to them,” Hammer told reporters after practice this week. “Hitting next to Rory [McIlroy], that’s pretty special for me being 15 to come out here and playing against all these guys. It’s a dream come true.”

Hammer even got to play a practice round with his idol, Masters champion Jordan Spieth.

“I’ve always wanted to play with Jordan,” he said of the opportunity. “I think it’s going to be really, really cool, really fun.”

Spieth has noticed the up-and-comer himself.

“I think it’s amazing that he’s here,” Spieth said. “He’s had a smile on his face every moment that I’ve seen him.”

But even Spieth did not accomplish at 15 what this prodigy is poised to do. Neither did McIlroy or Tiger Woods. So, whether he makes the final cut, “Hammer Time,” as people call him, has come.