2024 Broken Tee 2-Man: Olympic Club

The fog burned off early. The cypress trees gently swayed. The ground, trodden by the likes of Hogan, Arnie, Jack, Tiger and Nelly over the course of six combined men’s and women’s U.S. Opens since 1955, had that perfect pre-round crunch underfoot. The seventh Broken Tee 2-Man felt major from the second daylight broke over The Olympic Club.

The morning calm was soon charged with the energy of a record 192 Broken Tee Society members gunning to make their own history on one of America’s true golf cathedrals. The range quickly filled, with players dialing in their games for a 36-hole challenge.

Back in 2022, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner broke ground on a renovation of the club’s championship Lake Course. Greens were expanded by 35%, and fairways increased by 25%. It amounted to a course that has regained its classic feel, with players now facing the same shots that Jack Fleck managed to tame when he authored one of the biggest upsets in golf history by taking down Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open.

But the course is also ready for its future closeups when it hosts the 2028 PGA Championship and 2033 Ryder Cup. Indeed, a common sight at the 2-Man was players eyeing the championship tees well behind them and shaking their heads in disbelief.

The Ocean Course, host of the ​​the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2007 U.S. Amateur, and the 2015 inaugural U.S. Four-Ball Championships, is the more exposed of the two courses and has even steeper elevation changes. Considering all 36 holes plus a copious amount of world-famous burgerdogs, this was one of those rare and magical experiences when the golf actually exceeds the hype.

But there was work to be done and places on the BTS trophy, custom designed by Scotty Cameron, on the line. Craig Villari, the 2023 BT2M net champion, was inches from an ace on No. 10 at the Ocean Course. Holly Nemerofsky nearly made a 1 on the BMW hole, narrowly missing out on the 2024 BMW i5 M60. Pau Gasol, who won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and is a member at Olympic Club, used his home-course advantage. Just four years into playing the game, Gasol showed his championship mettle: he and his partner Michael Klem grabbed third place in the net division. Mark Carlson and Eric Lakner emerged as the net winners, both earning their first BTS titles.

Meanwhile, Tanner Grimmius and Brent Borgstahl were looking to make history and win their third BT2M gross title. But Pat Fayad and Will Hickey were destined for their major moment. One last hard-earned par on their final hole ensured their names will be added to the Broken Tee 2-Man trophy.

2024 Broken Tee 2-Man Champions

NET
Mark Carlson
Vienna, VA
Eric Lakner
Columbus, OH

GROSS
Pat Fayad
Rochester Hills, MI
Will Hickey
Burr Ridge, IL

As the sun finally set over the Golden Gate Bridge, players tore into the club’s legendary spread of prime rib, oyster and shrimp raw bar and fresh pasta, then toasted to a day for the history books. Below is a selection of scenes from our flagship event.