Notah Begay III spends a lot of time on the golf course.

Problem is, much of that time is spent following the best players in the world as an on-course reporter and analyst for NBC Sports and Golf Channel.

So when Begay got word this week that he had earned a spot in the U.S. Senior Open as an alternate after the withdrawal of Davis Love III, he had to turn his attention to his own game.

“The caliber of play on this tour with these players is so high that it’s hard for me to compete consistently just because I don’t play enough,” he said.

After an even-par first round that featured 16 pars on the East Course of The Broadmoor, Begay ran into trouble Friday late in the second round. He had a bogey at No. 5, a double bogey at No. 6 and another bogey at No. 8.

Suddenly, sitting at 4-over par for the tournament, the prospect of making the cut for the first time at a Senior Open seemed in doubt heading to No. 9, his last hole of the day.

Begay is well aware of the pressure that comes with playing in a USGA championship. Not only has the native of Albuquerque, N.M., faced it himself, he often gets a front-row seat watching others in a similar situation.

It happened just this month at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, where Begay was on hand to see J.J. Spaun win the U.S. Open.

“I learned a lot,” Begay said. “You just watch who does well, what sort of temperament and mindset do well, what sort of strategies do well.”

USGA championships are designed to be true tests of golf — both physical and mental. The rough is much more severe. The greens are much faster. And the stakes are much higher.

Add it all up, and the best golfers can sometimes come off looking like weekend hackers.

Through two days, the East Course has proven a worthy test.

“The golf course has a wonderful set of challenges that if you are out of position or you’re playing from the rough, you’re going to make some bad scores,” Begay said.

And that’s exactly where he found himself after the bogey at No. 8. So he leaned on the intel he’s picked up as an on-course reporter and analyst. He mimicked what he witnessed from Spaun, who recovered from a dreadful start in the final round at Oakmont.

“Two things: You can’t panic; you got to keep trusting what you’re doing. But also you can’t force it,” Begay said. “In regular events, you can kind of force it and get aggressive, but in U.S. Opens, you can’t do that because each hole presents a very difficult challenge. So sometimes just getting back on the par train can be helpful.”

On Friday, Begay didn’t bother with the par train. He finished with a birdie. And now he’ll be around to play — not work — this weekend.