Courtesy photo With his caddie, son Derek Fink, watching, Artie Fink Jr. competes in last week’s U.S. Senior Open.

Ever wonder what it would be like to play in one of golf’s major championships?

That’s exactly what Altoona’s Artie Fink Jr. experienced last week when he was one of 156 golfers who competed in the 2026 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.

A lengthy 7,170-yard championship course with heavy rough and slick greens were some of the difficult conditions that greeted every golfer who teed it up.

On top of that, competitors had to cope with record-setting temperatures that reached in excess of 100 degrees during much of the week.

Fink has had a storied local golf career and has qualified for three previous USGA events, but last week’s U.S. Senior Open was the most prestigious national championship he’s competed in.

Even before tournament play began on Thursday, Fink could tell this event was special.

Immediately upon arriving in Columbus, Fink was given the keys to a brand-new Lexus rental car to use for the entire week. He also learned that all participants had daily access to the Scioto clubhouse where they would be served breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Another unusual perk was access to three USGA-appointed chiropractors and an on-site barber the USGA hired to attend to the grooming needs of competitors.

On Tuesday, Fink was like many who played just nine practice holes as part of their pre-tournament preparation. His playing companions that day just happened to be former PGA Tour stars Pat Perez and Jeff Maggert.

“Both guys were great to play with,” Fink said. “They were really helpful in giving advice and were happy to answer any question I had.”

Wednesday’s practice round was a bit easier, despite the ongoing heat wave. Fink’s son, Derek, a fine golfer in his own right, had just arrived in Columbus and was ready to carry out his duties as caddy for the remainder of the week.

During this final practice round, Fink was joined by Hank Kim, a college golf coach from North Carolina, and Scott Parrell, a standout on the Champions Tour.

While preparing during the week, Fink couldn’t help but notice the number of equipment trailers that were on site. Knowing he may need a few extra golf gloves, Fink decided to visit the Srixon trailer and was promptly given five new gloves.

Company reps followed with 10 dozen brand-new Srixon Z-Star Diamond golf balls and five Srixon hats. After Fink mentioned that he used Srixon irons but had Taylor-made wedges in his bag, the Srixon rep spent the next 25 minutes building three custom-made wedges for him, on the spot.

“During the entire week, the USGA, club officials and equipment companies treated us all like kings,” Fink said. “It was the best experience I’ve had as a golfer.”

After one of the practice rounds, Fink thought he might need a 2-iron for his tee shot on the 249-yard, par-3, 14th. After a follow-up trip to the equipment trailer, Fink quickly was given a brand-new 2-iron, 3-iron and 4-iron, made to his specifications, to experiment with.

As Thursday’s opening tee shot grew near, Fink was surprised by the local following who made the five-hour trek to see him play. A total of 30-40 area fans that watched Thursday’s opening round grew to 50-60 on Friday.

One particularly surreal moment during the week occurred while Fink was warming up on the driving range. To his left was world golf Hall of Famer V.J. Singh, while directly to his right was Davis Love III. Another highlight was being featured on the live, national broadcast during the opening round.

While Fink was able to maintain his composure through the majority of the experience, he did admit to being nervous before his first tee shot on Thursday afternoon. After his first hole or two, the nerves subsided. The punishing rough and undulating greens, however, did not.

“I tried to hit an eight-iron from the rough on Thursday and only advanced it a few yards,” Fink said. “After that, I pitched out with a sandwedge every time I was in the rough and tried to get up and down from there.”

Although Fink didn’t play nearly as well as he would have liked and missed the cut (scoring 85-84), he was still pleased with the overall experience.

“You don’t get to play in conditions like that too often,” Fink said. “It’ll only make me better. Hopefully, I’ll get another shot or two at something like this in the future.”