U.S. Open LIVE SCORING: Follow the 16 amateurs in the field

June 17, 2015 | by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com

Gunn Yang

The last time the U.S. Open had this many amateurs they were playing with persimmon woods - in 1981 at Merion where Joey Rassett of Turlock, Calif. was low amateur of the 18 in the field

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — The "Road to Chambers Bay" is complete, and the U.S. Open is underway! With at least one amateur making the cut at each of the 10 sectional qualifying locations, (several with multiples) and three players exempt from that process, there are 16 amateurs in the field at Chambers Bay.

We're not sure if an amateur can become the first since Johnny Goodman in 1933 to win the U.S. Open. Eleven years ago we watched the most memorable amateur performance since AmateurGolf.com was founded — Spencer Levin's 13th place finish at Shinnecock Hills. His putting that week was sublime; he made an ace to boot. Wild and whacky things are bound to happen at Chambers Bay, so what better time for an amateur to try and crack the top 10?

Here they are:

Brian Campbell

Brian Campbell - Irvine, Calif.
Twitter - @4brian_cam
Campbell, a graduating senior from the University of Illinois, has won back-to- back NCAA Regional titles, capturing the Central Regional in both 2014 and 2015. The Mater Dei High School graduate tied for ninth at the 2014 Championship and tied for 25th this year as his Fighting Illini reached the semifinals before losing to USC. Campbell qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open, as well, missing the cut by a stroke at Pinehurst.

Road To Chambers Bay: Campbell tied for fifth at the Big Canyon/Newport Beach qualifier with rounds of 69 and 68 and secured the final available spot.

Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau - Clovis, Calif.
DeChambeau will be the hottest amateur heading into U.S. Open week. The Southern Methodist to-be senior won the stroke play portion of the NCAA Men's National Championship, and upon receiving a sponsor's exemption into the FedEx St. Jude Classic last week, proceeded to make the cut and finish tied for 45th.

Road To Chambers Bay: DeChambeau tackled the notorious Ohio sectional qualifier, grabbing one of fifteen spots available in Columbus with 66-67. He was the only amateur to advance through the site and beat out notable professionals like Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, and Nick Watney.

Cole Hammer

Cole Hammer - Houston, Texas
Twitter - @cole_hammer6765
Hammer, just a high-school sophomore, will be the youngest player in the field at age 15. Hammer attends the Kincaid School in Houston and is the 90th- ranked junior golfer in the United States according to Junior Golf Scoreboard.

Road To Chambers Bay: Hammer wowed spectators and officials by posting eight-under 132 at Northwood Club in Dallas. His 36-hole day was highlighted by a morning round of 64, the lowest of any player all day.

Nick Hardy

Nick Hardy - Northbrook, Ill.
Twitter - @NickHardy8
Hardy will join Brian Campbell as two representatives from the University of Illinois at Chambers Bay. Hardy, who just finished his freshman year in Champaign, was the runner-up at the 2014 Western Junior and reached the semifinals of the Western Amateur, where he lost to eventual winner Beau Hossler. In 2015, he tied for first place with Iowa golfer Schaake at the Big 10 Championship.

Road To Chambers Bay: Hardy was the only amateur to advance through the second Ohio qualifier, added in after the fact due to the increased number of entries at the main Ohio site. Hardy posted 66-68 and tied for third place.

Sam Horsfield

Sam Horsfield - England
Twitter - @hr59sam
This year's New Year's Invitational winner, which he accomplished in title defense, hails from England but went to high school in Florida. He'll join the Florida Gator golf team this fall and ended his junior career as the second-ranked player in the country.

Road To Chambers Bay: Horsfield played The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla. and shot a second-round 69 to force a playoff with fellow amateur Cristobal Del Solar. In his morning round, in which he posted 72, Horsfield overcame a triple-bogey on the par-4 11th hole.

Beau Hossler

Beau Hossler - Mission Viejo, Calif.
Twitter - @beauhossler
Currently the No. 1 ranked amateur on the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Ranking, Hossler recently completed his sophomore campaign at the University of Texas. Hossler, the reigning Western Amateur champion, picked up his first collegiate win in 2015 when he conquered Sawgrass Country Club and the John Hayt Collegiate. Hossler will be playing in his third U.S. Open, with his 2012 appearance at The Olympic Club putting his name on the map.

Road to Chambers Bay: Hossler fired 65 at Newport Beach Country Club before taming the much tougher Big Canyon Country Club with a 71. He tied for second place at the qualifier and was one of three Californian amateurs to advance.

Kyle Jones

Kyle Jones - Snowflake, Ariz.
Twitter - @Kyle_JonesBU
Jones had a stellar senior season in the Big 12 playing for the Baylor Bears. He ran into Canadian Austin Connelly in a playoff at the Jones Cup and picked up three other notable top-10 finishes including placing third at the Querencia Cabo Collegiate and tying for fifth at the Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills.

Road To Chambers Bay: Jones took on Northwood Club in Dallas and despite a bogey on his 36th and final hole of the day, still advanced with rounds of 65 and 69.

Jake Knapp

Jake Knapp - Costa Mesa, Calif.
Twitter - @jknapp58
The U.S. Open will be Knapp's second PGA Tour event of the year as the UCLA to-be senior Monday-qualified for the Farmers Insurance Open back in February, where he eventually missed the cut. Knapp will get another chance to reach the weekend at Chambers Bay.

Road To Chambers Bay: Knapp joined fellow Californians Brian Campbell and Beau Hossler as amateur qualifiers at the Big Canyon/Newport site. Knapp, along with Hossler, tied for second place two back of pro Kevin Lucas. Knapp's 64 at Newport Beach Country Club was the lowest round of the day.

Jack Maguire

Jack Maguire - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Twitter - @JMAJ94
Younger brother of recently turned-pro M.J. Maguire, Jack Maguire will be a junior this fall at Florida State where his Seminoles were the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for the latter half of the 2014-2015 season. Maguire was spectacular for FSU in his sophomore campaign, securing top-10s at the Valspar Collegiate, ACC Championship, and NCAA Southeast Regional. He also tied for fifth at the Jones Cup in January.

Road To Chambers Bay: Maguire tied for medalist honors at The Bear's Club, where he had the honor of tying former World No. 1-ranked golfer Luke Donald. He carded back-to-back rounds of 70 and had 36 holes that featured 11 birdies and three double-bogeys.

Denny McCarthy

Denny McCarthy - Burtonsville, Md.
Representing the University of Virginia at Chambers Bay will be Maryland native Denny McCarthy, who was one of three United States representatives at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship. In fact, all three U.S. players, including Beau Hossler and Bryson DeChambeau, will be in the field at Chambers Bay. McCarthy finished his senior season at UVA with a top-30 showing at the NCAA Championship, as well as a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Southwest Regional and a T7 showing at the ACC Championship.

Road To Chambers Bay: McCarthy headed to Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. where he tied for medalist honors with Billy Hurley III at six-under on the heals of a solid 68 in the afternoon, which tied the second-round low.

Lee McCoy

Lee McCoy - Clarkesville, Ga.
Twitter - @LeeMcCoyGolf
One of the best collegiate players in the spring, McCoy will wear Georgia Bulldog black and red in the Pacific Northwest this week. The soon-to-be senior won the Linger Longer and Augusta State collegiate invitationals and was a semifinalist for the 2015 Ben Hogan Award. The Georgia native was also medalist at last year's U.S. Amateur, which was held in his home state.

Road To Chambers Bay: Playing Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Georgia, McCoy posted 66-65 as he and fellow SEC golfer Matt NeSmith blitzed the field. McCoy made it look easy, marking his two cards with zero birdies and 13 birdies.

Bradley Neil

Bradley Neil - Scotland
Twitter - @BradleyNeil1
Aside from his 2014 British Amateur victory, Neil has played spectacular golf during last year into this year. In 2014, he had three runner-up finishes, including the St. Andrews Links Trophy, South African Stroke Play, and Sotogrande Cup. Since the calendar turned to 2015, Neil has tied for second at the Battle Trophy and played ninth at the Lytham Trophy.

Road To Chambers Bay: Neil is in the field by virtue of his 2014 British Amateur Championship, which he won facing South African Zander Lombard in the 36-hole final. The win provided an exemption to both the Masters and U.S. Open, providing he stayed amateur, which he has wisely chosen to do.

Matthew NeSmith

Matthew NeSmith - North Augusta, S.C.
Twitter - @Matt_KneeSmith
NeSmith (pronounced Knee-Smith, as evidenced by his Twitter handle) highlighted his junior season at the University of South Carolina with an overwhelming victory at the SEC Championship, where he won by six over Ben Schlottman of Auburn. After beginning the year with a T5 showing at the Jones Cup, NeSmith also secured top-10s at the Valspar Collegiate and NCAA West Regional.

Road To Chambers Bay: NeSmith made an incredible 17 birdies at Hawks Ridge Golf Club where he was medalist by four over Lee McCoy. Add all that up with an eagle and two bogeys, and NeSmith made just 16 pars in 36 holes en route to qualifying for the for the U.S. Open.

Davis Riley

Davis Riley - Hattiesburg, Miss.
Twitter - @davisriley68
The future Alabama golfer, who will join the Crimson Tide this fall, was close to defending his title at the Terra Cotta Invitational but lost out to Jorge Garcia as Riley finished second. Riley is the third-ranked junior in the nation, and one of three junior players in the field.

Road To Chambers Bay: Riley tied for eighth and squeezed into the Open at Germantown Country Club and Ridgeway Country Club with rounds of 69 and 67.

Ollie Schniederjans

Ollie Schniederjans - Powder Springs, Ga.
Twitter - @ollie_gt
Graduating senior Ollie Schniederjans tied for seventh at the NCAA Southwest Regional and placed fourth at the ACC Championship in his final year as a Yellow Jacket. The Georgia native received many sponsor's exemptions into PGA Tour events from last year into this year, so this will not be his first professional event.

Road To Chambers Bay: Winning of the McCormack Medal as the top-ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2014 provided the Georgia Tech standout a full exemption into the U.S. Open.

Gunn Yang

Gunn Yang / South Korea
Twitter - @GunnYang
Road To Chambers Bay: The surprise winner of the 2014 U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club, where he survived rain delays and opponents who were — on paper — supposed to win their matches against him. Yang has taken advantage of numerous exemptions into PGA Tour events (and of course played in The Masters) and seems to be improving each chance, as witnessed by the fact that he recently made the cut at Colonial in the Crowne Plaza Invitational. In March, just prior to The Masters, Yang won his match against British Amateur champion Bradley Neil in an annual match called The Georgia Cup.

Fun Fact: After winning the U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club with a member on his bag, Yang made good on his pre-match play promise to take the member to Augusta as his caddie if he won the U.S. Amateur.

Results: U.S. Open Golf Championship

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T27	Brian Campbell	Irvine, CA	800	67-72-78-68=285
T42	Denny McCarthy	Burtonsville, MD	500	71-73-71-72=287
T42	Oliver Schniederjans	Powder Springs, GA	500	69-73-72-73=287
T52	Nick Hardy	Northbrook, IL	500	70-75-77-68=290
T58	Jack Maguire	St. Petersburg, FL	500	73-68-73-78=292

View full results for U.S. Open Golf Championship

About the U.S. Open Golf Championship

U.S. Open LIVE SCORING: Follow the 16 amateurs in the field

The U.S. Open is the biggest of the 15 national championships conducted by the USGA. Open to amateurs and professionals. Amateurs gain entry via USGA win or runner-up finishes while having the opportunity to qualify alongside non-exempt professionals...