The first wave.
England. Texas.
The road begins.
Two venues. Six time zones apart. Today's qualifiers fill the first seats at Shinnecock Hills — and Golf's Longest Day is still three weeks away.
There's a long-standing pattern to the U.S. Open's qualifying calendar: the international and Texas-based contingent get their day first. Today is that day. While the rest of the field is still waiting for June 8's mass marathon, 36-hole Final Qualifying is already underway in Surrey and Dallas — and by the time the sun sets in Texas, the first names will have punched their tickets to Shinnecock Hills.
Both venues come loaded with history. Walton Heath's Old Course, built by amateur Herbert Fowler in 1904 on a chalk-and-sand heathland plateau, has hosted the Ryder Cup (1981) and the 2023 AIG Women's Open. Dallas Athletic Club delivered Jack Nicklaus his first PGA Championship in 1963; he came back as the architect twenty-three years later. Two qualifiers, two centuries of championship pedigree, one Monday.
Both venues are in. Englishman Nathan Kimsey ran away with medalist honors at Walton Heath after a sensational 62 in round two — a two-day total of 130 (−14), winning by two. In Dallas, former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein took medalist honors at −9, with PGA Tour winner Tom Kim punching his ticket at −8 and Graeme McDowell — the 2010 U.S. Open champion — surviving the day at −4. The first 13 names are headed to Shinnecock.
Walton Heath Golf Club
The story: 25 miles south of central London, on a chalk-and-sand plateau, Walton Heath is golf's quietest cathedral. Herbert Fowler — an amateur — designed the Old Course in 1904. The list of championships hosted reads like a fever dream: the 1981 Ryder Cup, five European Opens, the 2011 Senior Open, the 2023 AIG Women's Open (won by Lilia Vu on a composite of the Old and New).
"The first really fine inland golf course designed from start to finish by an amateur golfer."— Tom Simpson, on Walton Heath
The test today: Heather and gorse line the corridors. Greens are small, often elevated, and demand a Scottish-style ground game. For 2026 Final Qualifying, the USGA is expected to use a composite layout drawing the strongest 18 from the Old and New, similar to the 2023 Women's Open setup. The wind off the heathland defines the day; even on a calm morning, gorse takes errant shots permanently.
Walton Heath — In the Books
England's Nathan Kimsey ran away with medalist honors — a sensational 62 in round two for a two-day total of 130 (−14), winning by two.
A four-way logjam at −11 — Celli, Matthew Jordan (Eng), Angel Hidalgo (Spa), and Niklas Nørgaard (Den) — set up a playoff for the remaining qualifying spots.
Full Leaderboard →Dallas Athletic Club
The story: In 1963, the PGA Championship came to Dallas Athletic Club. Jack Nicklaus, 23 years old, won it in suffocating Texas heat — his first PGA title, a two-stroke decision over Dave Ragan. Twenty-three years later, the club brought Nicklaus back, this time as the architect: he redesigned the Blue Course in 1986 and the Gold in 1989. Chet Williams added further renovations in 2015–2016. Today's Final Qualifying uses both courses across the 36 holes.
The test today: 419 Bermuda fairways. Bentgrass greens. Heat into the high 80s already by the time the morning wave finishes. The Blue's signature 5th — a 428-yard dogleg right with a waterfall fronting the green that Nicklaus added in '86 — is the conversation piece. The Gold is the more strategic of the two, with more water carries on the back nine.
Dallas Athletic Club — In the Books
Former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein earned medalist honors at −9. PGA Tour winner Tom Kim and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell both punched their tickets.
Nine players advance. Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium), and Texas-based TK Kim headline the −4 group through. PGA Tour veteran Kevin Streelman is the headline name to miss the cut.
Full Leaderboard →What this day means.
Thirteen names just punched their tickets to Shinnecock Hills. The headlines: Englishman Nathan Kimsey's −14 walkover at Walton Heath, Peter Uihlein's medalist run at Dallas, and the simultaneous advancement of two former major champions — Tom Kim and Graeme McDowell — through the same Texas qualifier.
Of the 13 Final Qualifying venues on the 2026 schedule, two are now done. One plays next Monday in Japan, and the rest of the field — ten venues across the U.S. and Canada — converges on Monday, June 8 · Golf's Longest Day. The other ~143 spots remain in play.
Bookmark this page. We'll keep it pinned through tonight's results.