U.S. Open qualifying: A closer look

The appeal of U.S. Open sectional qualifying comes from its combination of simplicity and high stakes. Approximately half of the spots in the season’s second major are determined by the game’s most straightforward metric: score. No algoritihms or advanced analytics are used to determine who will earn a tee time at Erin Hills via Monday’s 10 qualifying tournaments, which are being conducted across the United States. Shooting the lowest score is all that matters. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter if the person signing the scorecard is a major champion, an NCAA champion or a club champion. World Golf Hall of Famers are competing Monday alongside working men. Players who you may have seen at your home club last week are now competing for the chance to tee it up alongside Dustin Johnson and company on one of the world’s largest stages. We’ve compiled a list of notable participants below. These are names you already know, and others that you soon may hear more about. There’s also links to live scoring so that you can follow along as the drama unfolds. PGATOUR.COM also has staffers at four sites who will provide live updates. June 5 Brookside Golf & CC/The Lakes Golf & CC  Columbus, Ohio 120 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Keegan Bradley, whose three PGA TOUR victories include the 2011 PGA Championship — Patrick Cantlay, the former No. 1 amateur who was runner-up at this year’s Valspar Championship. He was runner-up in the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills. — K.J. Choi, whose eight PGA TOUR wins include the 2011 PLAYERS Championship. — Stewart Cink, whose six PGA TOUR titles include the 2009 Open Championship. — Luke Donald, the former World No. 1 who has won five times on the PGA TOUR. — Mackenzie Hughes, winner of The RSM Classic and No. 19 in the FedExCup. — Smylie Kaufman, winner of last season’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. — Kelly Kraft, winner of the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills. He was runner-up at this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. — Danny Lee, winner of the 2015 Greenbrier Classic and a member of that year’s International Team at the Presidents Cup. He collected back-to-back top-10s at the AT&T Byron Nelson (T5) and DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (6th). — Luke List, No. 35 in the FedExCup. — Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion and a captain’s assistant for this year’s International Team for the Presidents Cup. — Rod Pampling, winner of this season’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. — Andrew Putnam, who currently leads the Web.com Tour money list. — Ollie Schniederjans, the PGA TOUR rookie who is No. 44 in the FedExCup. — Scottie Scheffler, a Texas All-American who finished T3 at this year’s NCAA Championship. He qualified for last year’s U.S. Open, shooting 69 in the first round before missing the cut. — Cameron Smith, who won this year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Jonas Blixt. Smith finished fourth in the 2015 U.S. Open. Germantown CC/Ridgeway CC Memphis, Tennessee 108 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Sam Burns, who won the 2017 Jack Nicklaus Award as the top player in college golf. Burns qualified for last year’s U.S. Open (MC) at the Memphis site. — Harris English, whose two PGA TOUR victories include the 2013 FedEx St. Jude Classic near Memphis. — Retief Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open winner (2001, ’04). — Cody Gribble, winner of this season’s Sanderson Farms Championship. — Andrew Landry, who ranks third on the Web.com Tour money list. He played in the final group of last year’s U.S. Open before finishing 15th. — Steve Stricker, a 12-time PGA TOUR winner and captain of this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup team. The Wisconsin native is trying to qualify for the first U.S. Open in his home state. — Hudson Swafford, winner of the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge. — Braden Thornberry, winner of the 2017 NCAA individual championship. Hawks Ridge GC Ball Ground, Ga. 36 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Zecheng Dou, who won four times on PGA TOUR China last year and was the tour’s Player of the Year. He is 34th on the Web.com Tour money list. — Stephan Jaeger, who fired 58 last year on the Web.com Tour. He recently won the BMW Charity Pro-Am and ranks seventh on the Web.com Tour money list. — Dru Love, the son of two-time PLAYERS champion Davis Love III. Dru’s father is playing the sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio. — Jimmy Stanger, a first-team All-American at the University of Virginia. Lakewood CC Dallas, Texas 58 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Woody Austin, who has won four times on the PGA TOUR and is a three-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions. — Steven Bowditch, a two-time PGA TOUR winner and member of the 2015 International Team at the Presidents Cup. — Noah Goodwin, the 2016 AJGA Player of the Year. — Hunter Mahan, a six-time PGA TOUR winner. — Ryan Palmer, a three-time PGA TOUR winner who ranks 107th in this season’s FedExCup. — Will Zalatoris, a first-team All-American at Wake Forest who also won the 2014 U.S. Junior. He’s No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Springfield CC Springfield, Ohio 77 for TBD Tee times/results — Tony Finau, the 2016 Puerto Rico Open champion. He qualified for the 2015 U.S. Open at this site, then tied for 14th at Chambers Bay. — James Hahn, a two-time TOUR winner who recently finished third at the AT&T Byron Nelson.  — Kevin Hall, the former Ohio State golfer who received the Charlie Sifford Exemption to compete in this year’s Genesis Open. Hall, who has been deaf since age 2, missed the cut at Riviera. — Dylan Meyer, an Illinois junior who was one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, which is given to the top player in college and amateur golf. He is the world’s fourth-ranked amateur. — Brian Stuard, winner of the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Woodmont CC Rockville, Md. 50 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Jason Gore, who owns one PGA TOUR title and seven victories on the Web.com Tour. He played in the final group of the 2005 U.S. Open. He ranks 15th on the Web.com Tour money list. — Billy Hurley III, winner of the 2016 Quicken Loans National at nearby Congressional Country Club. — Dan McCarthy, who won four times on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada last year and currently ranks 55th on the Web.com Tour money list. — Kyle Thompson, who ranks fifth on the Web.com Tour money list. Canoe Brook CC Summit, N.J. 80 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Rich Berberian, winner of the 2016 PGA Professional National Championship. — Daniel Chopra, whose two PGA TOUR victories include the 2008 Tournament of Champions. — Mike Dunham, a former NHL goaltender and 2002 Olympics silver medalist. He is currently the New York Islanders’ goaltending coach. — Jim Herman, winner of the 2016 Shell Houston Open who was a club professional in New Jersey before making the PGA TOUR. — Nathan Smith, a four-time winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. — Richy Werenski, a PGA TOUR rookie who ranks 144th in the FedExCup. Jupiter Hills Club Tequesta, Fla. 49 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Robert Allenby, a four-time PGA TOUR winner and six-time Presidents Cup participant for the International Team. — Sam Horsfield, who has turned pro after two years at the University of Florida. Horsfield, who has been mentored by Ian Poulter, won four times at Florida and was a first-team All-American in 2016. — Jack Maguire, who ranks 46th on the Web.com Tour money list. — Joaquin Niemann, the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He is an incoming freshman at the University of South Florida. — Alejandro Tosti, a University of Florida golfer who won this year’s SEC individual championship. — Andy Zhang, who is the youngest person to ever qualify for the U.S. Open. He was 14 years old when he qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open. He now plays for the University of Florida. Big Canyon CC/Newport Beach CC Newport Beach, Calif. 103 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Charlie Beljan, winner of the 2012 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. — Sean Crocker, the world’s ninth-ranked amateur. Crocker, a USC junior, was born in Zimbabwe and has been mentored by Nick Price, the International Team captain for the Presidents Cup. — Stewart Hagestad, the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and low amateur at this year’s Masters (T36). — Max Homa, a PGA TOUR player who won the 2013 NCAA Championship. — Beau Hossler, who first gained fame when he contended at the 2012 U.S. Open at the age of 16. Hossler is in his first full season of professional golf. — Collin Morikawa, a first-team All-American this season for Cal. Morikawa finished runner-up at the 2016 Air Capital Classic on the Web.com Tour, losing a playoff to Ollie Schniederjans. — Scott McCarron, who owns three titles apiece on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. He ranks second in this season’s Charles Schwab Cup. — John Oda, a first-team All-American at UNLV who is coming off a T8 finish at the NCAA Championship. — Norman Xiong, who won this year’s Phil Mickelson Award as the top freshman in college golf. Xiong plays for Oregon. Tacoma Country & GC Lakewood, Wash. 70 for TBD Tee times/scoring — Tadd Fujikawa, who qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at the age of 15. — Lee McCoy, who finished fourth as an amateur at the 2016 Valspar Championship. He is competing on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. — Jordan Niebrugge, a Wisconsin native who’s trying to return home for the U.S. Open. Niebrugge finished sixth at the 2015 Open Championship. — Robby Shelton, who finished T3 at the 2015 Barbasol Championship while still an amateur. The former Alabama All-American recently was medalist at Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Q-School. — Aaron Wise, who ranks 27th on the Web.com Tour money list. Wise won the 2016 NCAA individual championship for Oregon and led the Ducks to the team title. May 29 Walton Heath Golf Club Surrey, England 111 for 15 Popular PGA TOUR rookie Andrew Johnston qualified for the U.S. Open in exciting fashion, making three eagles during his two rounds at Walton Heath Golf Club. He made a hole-in-one during his morning round on the New Course, then had two eagles in the afternoon. Johnston is 188th in the FedExCup. Haotong Li, a former winner on PGA TOUR China and winner of the 2016 China Open, finished second, one shot behind Aaron Rai. 1. Aaron Rai, 66-64 (-14) 2. Haotong Li, 67-64 (-13) T3. Alexander Levy, 63-69 (-12) T3. Richie Ramsay, 66-66 (-12) T5. Oliver Bekker, 67-66 (-11) T5. Joel Stalter, 68-65 (-11) T5. Bradley Dredge, 62-71 (-11) T5. Eddie Pepperell, 67-66 (-11) T9. Brandon Stone, 68-66 (-10) T9. George Coetzee, 64-70 (-10) T9. Andrew Johnston, 68-66 (-10) T12. Paul Dunne, 67-68 (-9) T12. Matt Wallace, 67-68 (-9) T12. Thomas Aiken, 68-67 (-9) T12. Wade Ormsby, 66-69 (-9) 1st alt.: Gregory Bourdy, 71-64 (-9) 2nd alt.: Callum Shinkwin, 65-70 (-9) Notable MCs: MC. Nicolas Colsaerts, 69-67 (-8) MC. Mikko Ilonen, 71-65 (-8) MC. Padraig Harrington, 77-68 (+1) May 22 Ono Golf Club Ono City, Japan 36 for 4 Four-time Japan Tour winner Satoshi Kodaira posted a four-shot victory at the U.S. Open qualifier in Japan. Kodaira, 27, will be making his U.S. Open debut. The other three berths to Erin Hills were decided in a 6-for-3 playoff that lasted eight holes. Yusaku Miyazato, the older brother of nine-time LPGA winner Ai Miyazato, ended the playoff by making an 18-foot birdie putt for the final spot. Yusaku, who finished 23rd in last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, has won twice on the Japan Tour this year. Chan Kim earned a spot in The Open Championship six days after qualifying for the U.S. Open. He won the Gateway to the Open – Mizuno Open on May 28 to qualify for The Open Championship. It was the first Japan Tour win for the 27-year-old Arizona State alumnus. Among those who failed to qualify were Trevor Sluman, the nephew of 1988 PGA Championship winner Jeff Sluman, and PGA TOUR member Hiroshi Iwata. 1. Satoshi Kodaira, 64-69 (-11) T2. Yusaku Miyazato, 66-71 (-7) T2. Chan Kim, 69-68 (-7) T2. Shugo Imahira, 68-69 (-7) 1st alt.: Sungjae Im, 68-69 (-7) 2nd alt.: Shintaro Kobayashi, 70-67 (-7) Notable MCs:  MC. Hiroshi Iwata, 68-70–138 (-6) MC. Trevor Sluman, 71-76–147 (+5) MC. Anthony Paolucci, 74-78–152 (+8)

Click here to read the full article…