A belated job well done to Rondout Valley product Chris DeForest on his strong showing at this weekend's US Open.

It's difficult enough to qualify for the Open, let alone make the cut. DeForest missed the cut by just one stroke. I'm sure he's already replayed his two rounds in his mind about a hundred times, thinking about the one shot here or there that denied him the opportunity to play the weekend.

But the Open was the first in what could be a long list of pro golf tournaments the Cottekill resident played and he deserves a huge ataboy for getting this far.

Here's hoping we all get the chance to see an area athlete compete on the professional national stage for years to come.