While you are cleaning the dung, you are learning things. The US Open contender knows this well

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — You learn to a**t while spitting poop.

And herding chickens. And collecting their eggs. And packing those eggs by hand. Billy Mouw, of Billy’s Egg Farm in Chino, Calif., can tell you all about the operation. For 30 years and more, they’ve been selling the best eggs in the Los Angeles area, and in the chicken and egg business, there’s no mistaking what comes first:

Chicken again an egg.

“Yes, it’s 24-7,” Mouw said by phone Friday from his home in California. “Chickens lay eggs every day, even Christmas, most of the time, our family will be there collecting eggs on Christmas, yes.”

His son had been there, and to a lesser extent, he said he still is. However, this week, William Mouw is clearly on the other side of the country, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in the US Open. Mouw is a 25-year-old student. Played at Pepperdine. He won once on the PGA Tour. It is ranked 131 in the world. The elder Moux said his son started taking golf seriously ten years ago, now look at him. On Friday, while playing his 33rd hole in the national tournament, Mouw tied for second.

Then golf happened.

A tee ball found the fairway grass on the par-5 16th, but it leaned into the collar of the rough left. It came out of the box. That shot ended up inches above the fairway bunker, mixed with fescue hay, and the two volunteers, afraid of losing the ball, teed off over it. Mouw could only squeeze the iron and push it out.

That shot ended up 80 yards from the green, and Mouw was still able to make the par. But his path jumped once, he jumped the flagpole and went back, until he entered the basement next to the green. He left with 7 lashes, three of which were where they were jointly a few feet elsewhere, his fate would have gone the other way. But he went to 17 at even-par, and his tee shot there landed in another bunker.

The mind runs here, but maybe it ends up back home, on the farm, in the coop, with the will of the chicken. My father said he was watching. He said he and his wife, Michelle, were going out this week on Long Island, but his father, one William Mouw, recently died. Everyone in the poultry family plays golf, and they probably understand the game’s aspirations better than anyone.

Happened to golf?

Composting happens again.

At Billy’s Egg Farm, it does.

And guess what? He shovels it.

“Yeah, he’s a tough, tough kid,” said Billy Mouw. “And to play golf, you have to have a strong mind. I know it’s hard sometimes, but he always knew that.

“He always has that, like, God-given ability to just pull it out, pull it out of his gut, and do it.”

“Yes, it was very unfortunate, but in the course of the tournament, you will get bad breaks,” said William Mouw after his round. “So, you know, honestly, sometimes in a major tournament, two is perfect. I would have liked to save the bogey, but I had a lot of good on the back nine. Finishing with two bogeys on 17 and 18 was a way to bounce back and stay positive.”

Yes, 17 and 18.

On the semifinal hole, Mouw splashed out of the bunker, then rolled 10 feet. Par. A fist pump. “Yes, sometimes that comes out,” said Mouw who is usually reserved. “That meant a lot to me just because of what happened on the 16th. It was unfortunate. [on 17]I think that was, you know, just tapping into a good attitude and a little bit of courage.”

On the last, Mouw dropped to 4 feet and holed that putt. Par. Exit after two rounds. Go through two rounds. On Saturday, he will start seven behind leader Wyndham Clark.

“Even today I got some good breaks, so you can’t just look at bad breaks,” he said. “So I just took that in. Like my putt went in last, that was amazing.”

The weekend will be completely different. Mouw has previously played in two majors, tied for 70th last month at the PGA Championship and missed the cut four years ago at the US Open. Maybe you are clingy. Maybe not. Maybe you’re arguing. Maybe he’s fading.

He said he’s optimistic, though.

Along the way, you learned, well, you know what.

“Confidence comes from the hours you put in when no one is watching,” Mouw said, “and just good habits that go on, you know, good habits every day and doing your best to repeat those habits and let the results take care of themselves.

“So if I could say, confidence comes from consistent, solid, hard work behind the scenes.”

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