As far as anyone knew, there wasn't any pressure on Trip Kuehne. His U.S. Open ended Friday when he missed the cut, and as he stood in the left rough on the 18th hole Sunday morning, there was no number next to his name on the scoreboard.

But this last shot really mattered on Father's Day. When Kuehne made the green, his son Will, 5, scampered out from under the ropes and joined the twosome on the fairway, lugging a putter as big as he was.

"That was the most pressure I felt," Kuehne said. "If I didn't hit the green, he couldn't carry my putter up."

While 83 other golfers sweated their way through the final round at Pinehurst No. 2, Kuehne enjoyed a leisurely 18 holes with his buddy Chris Nallen. Teeing off by himself in the first group, Nallen had the option of playing with a "marker," an unofficial playing partner to help the pace play and keep score.

When the U.S. Golf Association asked Nallen late Saturday if he'd like to play with Kuehne, who hung around to watch the final two days after missing the cut by two strokes, he jumped at the chance to hang around with his old friend from the Walker Cup and amateur circuit.

After flying around the course in three hours, the two (and young Will) walked up the 18th together and enjoyed the crowd's applause. Kuehne has made the cut at the Open twice, so he'd been there before. But Nallen, a New Jersey native and Nationwide Tour player who qualified for the Open at the sectional in his home state, enjoyed it for the first time.

"We had a good time," Nallen said. "He kept me loose, and I played a little better. I was happy to make the cut, but I didn't play well."

Nallen shot a 75, moving him out of last place. Kuehne said he would have shot somewhere between 73 and 75, picking up a pair of inconsequential bogey putts.

"It's a lot easier golf course with no pressure," Kuehne said. "On 13, I went double bogey and bogey Thursday and Friday. Every practice round and today, I birdied it. There are a lot of shots that you get nervous on that were a lot easier today. This course really gets you out of your comfort zone."