PGA Professionals Bensel, Small living the dream

When the 156-player field tees off in Thursday's first round of the 107th U.S. Open, only two will carry the hopes and dreams of 28,000 of their brethren with them. Meet PGA Professionals Frank Bensel and Mike Small.

By T.J. Auclair, PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Plodding through the rolling hills of the exquisitely manicured Oakmont Country Club and down onto the driving range surrounded by an amphitheater of spectator-seating, you're not likely to find a man happier to be here than Frank Bensel.

Bensel, 39 and winner of the 2005 New York State Open, is one of just two PGA Professionals teeing it up this week in the 107th U.S. Open -- the other is two-time Nationwide Tour winner Mike Small.

Bensel is an assistant professional from the Metropolitan Section at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., which also happened to be the site of the 36-hole sectional qualifier on June 4 where Bensel shared co-medalist honors with Geoffrey Sisk at 2-under 140 to gain entry at famed Oakmont.

Late in the morning on Wednesday, Bensel could be found on the range, beating balls and trying to sharpen his game before heading out for his final practice round before the tournament begins on Thursday.

This is Bensel's first U.S. Open, but not his first major championship. He earned a spot in the 2004 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he missed the cut. That experience alone, he said, has made him feel more comfortable this week.  

"It's been a great experience so far. Playing in the PGA Championship gave me a taste of playing in a major, so I think that's helped a little bit," said Bensel, who coincidentally is a former assistant professional at Winged Foot, site of the 2006 U.S. Open. "The golf course is just fantastic. I don't think I've ever played a golf course that's this hard. I'm just trying to get used to the greens and trying to keep the ball on the fairway. It's pretty difficult. It's a great feeling to be playing in our nation's championship, to be here knowing that I earned it through qualifying and everything just like everyone else did, I'm really enjoying it."

In his seventh year as the head coach of the University of Illinois men's golf team, Small is making his third U.S. Open appearance this week and first since 1998. Like Bensel, Small -- the winner of the 2005 PGA Professional National Championship -- tied for medalist honors in his 36-hole sectional qualifier on June 4 at North Riverside in Illinois at 2-under-par 140.

Small has more tournament experience than most club professionals, having played in 52 PGA TOUR events, highlighted by a tie for ninth at the 1998 Bell Canadian Open, as well as 97 events on the Nationwide Tour, where he won twice in 1997.

"I know Mike well and I know he works a lot," said Bensel, who along with Small is happy to be carrying the torch for PGA Professionals this week. "Maybe in the off-season he gets to play a little bit more, but I know when he's working he doesn't get to play nearly as much as he'd probably like. We're absolutely out here trying to prove that we're very good players -- obviously Mike has already done that. If we can have a good showing out here that'll prove that club professionals are good players, too."

Unlike the rest of the field, guys like Bensel and Small don't have the luxury of focusing solely on their games to prep for a major -- which makes their situation all the more special and impressive. 

For instance, what did Bensel do to celebrate qualifying for the U.S. Open last Monday? He got back to the course to hammer out the details of that week's member-guest tournament. You think Tiger Woods will ever have to worry about that?

"Club professionals really have to try and manage their time to be able to work on their game," Bensel said. "As far as practicing and then being ready for tournament golf and then at the same time being at their jobs and attending to the members -- in that respect, trying to balance it all has been a bit of a challenge. You've got to pick and choose the days you can play and practice and just try and make the time."

Bensel has obviously made the best of that limited time and is extremely appreciative toward his bosses, as well as the membership, for allowing him to challenge himself on the grandest of stages. 

"The membership has been extremely supportive," he said. "They're so happy for me. I'm very happy to be at the club I'm at, where they support and encourage me to play in all these events. I certainly am missing some work, especially in the heart of the season, but at the same time I love my job and I love to play golf. It's the best of both worlds."

So what's been the best part of the week thus far?

"Just meeting a bunch of the guys," he said. "They've been very friendly and nice. It's been a lot of fun and has made it a lot easier."