After 20 years of putting in the hard yards, Tom Greller has earned a place at the U.S. Senior Open Championship and subsequently received congratulatory messages from some of the game’s biggest stars
07:21 ET, 25 Jun 2025Updated 15:01 ET, 25 Jun 2025
Tom Greller earned a place at the U.S. Senior Open(Image: Logan Whitton/USGA)
A 53-year-old golfer has received heartwarming praise from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler after sealing a spot in the prestigious U.S. Senior Open Championship.
Tom Greller qualified to play in the event this week after battling it out on the East Course at the Broadmoor in Colorado. He revealed that his intense final qualifying round had piqued the interest of Spieth, 31, and Fowler, 36, who were also practicing nearby and who were quick to show their class.
The two stars shared more than a passing interest in Greller’s game as Greller’s brother, Michael, is Spieth’s longtime caddie. It came as Tiger Woods’ teenage son Charlie claimed ‘I’m broke’ after a trust fund revelation.
READ MORE: Tommy Fleetwood’s wife with 23-year age gap rejected him in brutal three-word responseREAD MORE: PGA Tour star pulled himself from ambulance to win $540K at Travelers Championship
Once Greller had qualified, he touched upon how Spieth and Fowler sent him texts, congratulating him and how the trio were keenly awaiting his round to conclude. “Jordan, Rickie and Michael were refreshing the phone every couple of minutes, checking the scores,” Greller said.
He also claimed that: “Michael might have been more excited than me,” in reference to his brother. On Monday, Greller’s fairytale was embellished further as he played a nine-hole practice round with four-time major winner, Ernie Els – who he will also face off against at the U.S. Senior Open.
Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller congratulated Tom (Image: Getty Images)
The veteran managed to score the round courtesy of Spieth who helped arrange the star-laden practice gig for Greller. Speaking after, Greller said: “That was amazing. Ernie could not have been cooler. Super talkative and great to be around.”
Greller hails from Newberg, 40 miles southwest of Portland, in Oregon. When he’s not defying the odds, he works as a medical device salesman for Microtransponder in his day-to-day job.
Greller made waves on the course at Furman University in South Carolina in his younger days, although he never made the team. He then tried his hand at beach volleyball, yet his passion for golf was bubbling under the surface and he kept playing.
For 20 years Greller has played USGA qualifiers but this is the first instance of him being successful. He detailed his history in the events.
Rickie Fowler (L) and Jordan Spieth (R) made sure to congratulate Tom Greller(Image: Getty Images)
“The (U.S.) Amateur, the (U.S.) Public Links, the Mid-Amateur, the Four-ball,” he said. “I was an alternate in all of them except for the U.S. Amateur,” he said.
Despite making this year’s competition, he candidly discussed how his life isn’t dictated by the sport. “I go out and practice in town,” he added.
“I get out for an hour or so in the evening, or play nine holes. I probably play less golf than anyone in the field [Qualifiers] are the only real time I play 18 holes. I play all the state level stuff, Publinks against all the college kids, all the state and USGA stuff. I usually play five or six tournaments a season.”
The U.S. Senior Open Championship gets underway on Thursday, June 26 with names such as Angel Cabrera and Retief Goosen also set to play. And when it came for Greller to open up on what he hopes to achieve at the championship? “I have no score expectations,” he humbly said.