“I’m like, ‘Wow.’ But hey, I hit it all right. I didn’t make a complete fool of myself,’’ said Jon Curran, shaking his head at the thought of two of golf’s all-time greats lingering nearby as the 23-year-old US Open qualifier from Hopkinton began his practice round yesterday.

It has been that kind of whirlwind experience for Curran, who makes his big-stage debut tomorrow at the US Open. He earned his spot in the field the hard way: Surviving a 2-for-1 playoff at a local qualifier in Rhode Island, then surviving a 2-for-1 playoff at a sectional qualifier in New Jersey on June 7.

Since then, it has been hectic. Curran spent the next few days making travel arrangements, securing the necessary player information, and, most importantly, coming up with the money to make a cross-country trip on short notice. Spending a week on the Monterey Peninsula isn’t cheap, especially for a young professional golfer. But when it’s the national championship, held on one of the world’s best courses, with millions of dollars and a lifetime of possibilities up for grabs, you do whatever it takes.

So a group effort brought him here, literally and figuratively: His father, Peter; his management company; and lots of friends from Framingham Country Club, the course where Curran learned to play, starting when he was 4 and only permitted to chip and putt.

He’s all grown up now, focused on the unique opportunity he has made for himself and working hard at keeping his emotions in check. Tough task when you’re playing in front of US Open crowds at Pebble Beach. That’s why he chose to arrive on Saturday, giving him a few days to get acclimated to the beauty and history and enormity of the moment before the show starts.

“I’m just looking at this as a tournament, something I’ve played in for years,’’ Curran said. “I mean, it’s great, it’s awesome, but you can’t get caught up. I don’t want to blink my eyes and the next thing I know be on a plane home, but have all these stories of ‘I saw this guy, I saw that guy.’ I’d sound like an amateur.’’

That business-like approach doesn’t surprise Curran’s father.

“You can be awed by the experience, but I don’t think he will be,’’ said Peter Curran, who will fly to California today with his daughter, Jessica. Curran’s mother, Kathleen, is a fourth-grade teacher at Neary Elementary in Northborough and won’t be able to attend. “He’s dedicated most of his 23 years to get to this point. He knows he belongs. Am I surprised that he’s there? No.’’

Growing up in the Northeast, Curran was automatically at a geographic disadvantage when it came to attracting the attention of college coaches. So he and his father decided to hit the road, spending many summers traveling to different national tournaments when it became evident that Curran’s talent was blossoming and in need of the best competition. Curran led Hopkinton High to two state championships, and by the time he was a high school senior, he was the fourth-ranked junior in the country, a three-time state junior player of the year, named an All-American by the prestigious American Junior Golf Association, and got to pick a college from the 20 or so that offered him scholarships.

“Those college coaches thought that if he could get that kind of ranking living in New England and shoveling snow half the year, they’d really have something special if they could get their hands on him,’’ Peter Curran said. “He had a lot to choose from.’’

Vanderbilt was the winner, and Curran became an All-American there, too.

Like other sports, there’s a huge difference between playing well in college and turning that skill into a profession. Curran is finding that out. He narrowly missed out on advancing to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school last November, making a quintuple-bogey 9 on his 72d hole when all he needed was a par.

“It’s funny,’’ Curran said. “I was depressed for a few months after that, but I realized that I was a better player than I thought I was.’’

A second-stage failure is left with no PGA Tour status, so filling the schedule with lower-tier professional tournaments is the preferred route. Curran has made $3,925 in seven NGA Hooters Tour events this year, and earned $5,431 last month with a sixth-place finish in the eGolf Tour in Charlotte, N.C. Needless to say, playing in a tournament that paid $1.35 million to the winner last year is slightly different.

There are constant reminders that this week isn’t like all the others, from the complementary food in the player’s lounge to the free Lexus rental cars. The perks have tested the game plan Curran came up with last week of being efficient, a strategy that limited him to nine practice holes each of the first three days he was here, followed by the full 18 yesterday. He’s considering not playing a practice round today.

“You don’t want to leave,’’ Curran said. “You want to stay here all day long, but if you do that you’ll wear yourself out. I told Kevin [his caddie, Kevin Velardo of Wilmington] that if he sees me lingering, to get me out of here.’’

Mental focus is one of Curran’s strengths, and this being a US Open, that should come in handy this week. He already has been tested just getting here. In the local qualifier at Metacomet Country Club in East Providence, Curran holed a 60-foot eagle putt on the second playoff hole to advance. At the sectional qualifier, he beat Parker McLachlin on the first hole of a playoff to earn the fourth and final spot, setting off a night of celebratory phone calls and plans for Pebble Beach, a course he had never played, unless you count video games.

It culminates tomorrow at 9:12 a.m. local time, when he’s announced on the first tee as a contestant in the 110th US Open.

Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com