In a grueling 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier, against a field fortified by PGA Tour winners, on an old-school golf course that hosted the 1952 U.S. Open, a 15-year-old stole the show. 
 
 Houston’s Cole Hammer birdied four of his final five holes to cap the afternoon round of 2-under 68 at Northwood Club in Dallas. He finished one stroke behind medalist Mark Silvers, a Web.com Tour player from Thunderbolt, Ga. 
 
 Hammer will be the fourth-youngest golfer ever to compete in the U.S. Open when the tournament takes place June 18-21 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. 
 
 Dallas’ Cody Gribble posted matching rounds of 67 to tie for third, earning his second straight U.S. Open spot. The Highland Park graduate, who played with Jordan Spieth on Texas’ national championship team of 2012, finished tied for 21st in last year’s Open at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort. 
 
 Kyle Jones, who just closed his career at Baylor, also tied for third along with Jason Allred of Scottsdale, Ariz., and amateur Matt Mabrey of Little Rock, Ark. 
 
 When Hammer hit his approach on 18 to 4 feet, he drew loud applause from club members and fans on the patio above the picturesque hole where Julius Boros accepted his Open trophy 63 years ago. 
 
 “This means the world to me,” Hammer said. “I’ve dreamed about it my whole life. It’s going to be awesome.” 
 
 With a growth spurt over the last 10 months, Hammer has added 4 inches and 15 pounds — to 5-9, 125. 
 
 The distance increase helped him stay with playing partners Martin Flores, a PGA Tour player from Fort Worth, and Jon Trasamar of Blue Earth, Minn. (Flores fell three short of the qualifying number). 
 
 “This gives me a lot of confidence,” Hammer said. “I was coming in thinking I was a bit of a long shot, but why not? Just give it my best shot.” 
 
 Having won four of his last five junior events, Hammer had momentum on his side. He made few mistakes in the morning, shooting a six-birdie, no-bogey 64. 
 
 After going 24 holes without a bogey, he made his first on No. 7 and then bogeyed 12. Needing to make up ground, Hammer birdied four of the final five holes. 
 
 “I was confident,” he said. “I’ve been hitting it well and putting well, so I thought if I continue doing that here I’ll have a chance.” 
 
 Hammer has already committed to UT. So he headed straight to Gribble to offer congratulations. Gribble was well aware of Hammer’s game 
 
 “It’s great that he got in,” Gribble said. “He’s a great kid. I love his game, love his demeanor.” 
 
 Gribble, a Web.com Tour member, was concluding a busy stretch. He played in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the AT&T Byron Nelson on special exemptions and then the Greater Dallas Open, which concluded Sunday. 
 
 But he was no worse for wear at Northwood. Although he said it was not a great ball-striking day, he managed his game and the course well. 
 
 “It really wasn’t anything special,” he said. “I made some good saves, which really helps, but it was just a solid day. I minimized mistakes.” 
 
 Last year Gribble made it through qualifying in Memphis, Tenn. At Pinehurst, he shot 69 on Sunday to improve 14 places. It remains his biggest payday ($98,598). 
 
 “Looking back on it, I’d say the U.S. Open was the kickoff of my pro career,” Gribble said. “Not many people can say they qualified for the U.S. Open twice in a row.” 
 
 SMU’s DeChambeau, veteran Elder qualify to compete in U.S. Open 
 
 A week after winning the NCAA Championship, SMU junior Bryson DeChambeau qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday. He tied for third in sectional qualifying at Columbus, Ohio, finishing at 11-under 133 over 36 holes. 
 
 Fifteen players in Columbus qualified for the June 18-21 Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. DeChambeau will play his first PGA Tour event at this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis. 
 
 Dallas’ Brad Elder also qualified. 
 
 Our favorite Spieth stories 
 
 Townsend: Why Michael Greller is a perfect counterbalance for Masters champion Jordan Spieth 
 
 (Quick note with this one: Greller also made a ton of money in a very short amount of time working with Spieth). 
 
 Caitlyn Jenner once tried to set Jordan Spieth up with her daughter, Kendall. Speith had no idea who they were. 
 
 How popular is ex-Longhorn Jordan Spieth? He needs 4 bodyguards and has OU fans clamoring to see him 
 
 The Jordan Spieth Effect: Local high school golfers draw inspiration from Masters winner 
 
 Jesuit grad Jordan Speith was told, “to stick with golf because he wasn’t as good at the other sports” 
 
 Sherrington: Jordan Spieth's Masters win a game-changer for AT&T Byron Nelson Championship 
 
 Masters champion Jordan Spieth has history with Tony Romo 
 
 10 things you might not know about Jordan Spieth 
 
 We'll be nice and give you one here. But you'll have to click here to get the other nine. 
 
 - A graduate of Jesuit High School, Spieth took home the UIL Class 5A state title three times. In his senior year he won by seven strokes. 
 
 Check out his $2.3 million crib 
 
 Click here to see Spieth's house, which includes a 288-bottle wine closet, five bedrooms and 5.5 baths. 
 
 A new era 
 
 Nichols: Jordan Spieth's Masters victory, a marketer's dream, could signal new era in golf 
 
 Young, confident and humble, Spieth is a marketer’s dream — the boy next door who just happened to calmly blow away the world’s best on golf’s biggest stage, and he might just be ushering in a new era in golf. 
 
 -- 
 
 Humble beginnings, and a prediction 
 
 Read Jordan Spieth’s heartwarming letter to the family who helped pay his tuition 
 
 Spieth states his goal to win The Masters in a note to his financial supporters ... in 2009. 
 
 -- 
 
 A young master 
 
 Hot air: Jordan Spieth 'could carry our game for decades;' Others laud his 'epic' Masters performance 
 
 -- 
 
 Spieth joins pantheon of greats 
 
 Sherrington: In terms of a single event, where does Jordan Spieth's Masters win rank among Dallas' best? 
 
 -- 
 
 Hungry for another chance 
 
 After Masters eluded him a year ago, Jordan Spieth came back 'hungry' to claim victory 
 
 Quick preview: Just as Jordan Spieth had predicted the day before, mighty roars constantly reverberated through the stately Georgia pines late Sunday afternoon, so many of them directed toward the 21-year-old golfing prodigy, the pride of Texas and now a mesmerizing Masters champion by a four-shot margin over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose in only his second appearance at Augusta National. 
 
 -- 
 
 Spieth and Romo 
 
 The Masters champion Jordan Spieth has history with Tony Romo 
 
 Spieth and Romo united in 2013 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but don't expect them to reunite again. 
 
 -- 
 
 Hungry for redemption 
 
 After Masters eluded him a year ago, Jordan Spieth came back 'hungry' to claim victory 
 
 Quick preview: “It’s just an honor to join those names that have been on the trophy,” he said afterward. “I was already hungry from last year and having it slip away,” he said, referring to his tie for second. “You’re reminded of it all the time. With the Masters champion, it’s a different legacy. It made me hungry.” 
 
 -- 
 
 Spieth stats 
 
 By the numbers: A statistical look at Jordan Spieth's win at The Masters 
 
 Quick preview: Jordan Spieth did something in this Masters that Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer did when they won the prestigious tournament. 
 
 -- 
 
 National reaction 
 
 National reaction to Jordan Spieth's Masters win: Dirk Nowitzki, Troy Aikman, Mack Brown, Matthew McConaughey and more 
 
 Quick preview: From the USA Today - When Jordan Spieth won the Masters on Sunday, we won too. People who have grown sick of self-absorbed athletes won. Parents and coaches preaching sportsmanship in youth sports won. Those young athletes won, too. They won because they witnessed something we don't see every day on our grandest cultural stages. They saw a young American, not even 22 years old, win one of the great U.S. sporting events with a kind of unspoken class and grace that would seem to come from another era. 
 
 -- 
 
 New era begins now 
 
 Nichols: Jordan Spieth lays claim to green jacket; 21-year-old coolly closes out start-to-finish conquest 
 
 Quick preview: Spieth tapped in his bogey putt on the final hole, then hugged caddie Michael Greller and shook hands with playing partner Justin Rose. He walked off the green to thunderous applause, sharing hugs with his father Shawn, mother Chris, brother Steven and girlfriend Annie Verret. His little sister Ellie, who has a disability, stayed at the family’s Preston Hollow home. His grandfather Donald and several of Spieth’s closest friends from Jesuit were also on hand. 
 
 On Twitter: 
 
 @BillNicholsDMN 

 All in a day's work 
 
 Check out this review of the best of sports from July 31, 2016 -- including Jon Lester's safety squeeze to lift Cubs to a walk-off win, the Indians' acquisition of Andrew Miller, J.J. Watts' will to play Week 1, and Jimmy Walker's PGA Championship win.
– The veterans teeing off at the US Open today might consider that first shot business as usual, but for one very-much-not-veteran golfer, it was anything but. Cole Hammer is just 15, the third youngest golfer to qualify for the major, and he clearly struggled with his emotions before his initial shot today. The AP reports that he had to wipe away a tear as he prepared to hit—and he still managed par. "This means the world to me," the Texan previously told the Dallas Morning News. You can track his progress at ESPN here.