Road to the U.S. Open: 109 local, 12 sectional qualifiers set

February 26, 2020 | by United States Golf Association

Winged Foot Golf Club's West Course (USGA photo)

Last year 17 players made it through both local and sectional qualifying; this year Winged Foot awaits

The USGA has announced that 18-hole local qualifying for the 120th U.S. Open Championship will take place at 109 sites in 45 states and Canada between April 27-May 12. Then, 36-hole sectional qualifying will take place at 12 sites -- eight in the U.S. and four internationally -- from May 18-June 8.

The U.S. Open will be contested at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), in Mamaroneck, N.Y., for the sixth time from June 18-21.

“Thousands of golfers worldwide, both professional and amateur, will have an opportunity to earn a place in the championship at historic Winged Foot Golf Club by entering this two-stage U.S. Open qualifying process,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “The substantial support of Allied Golf Associations and Golf Canada, for which we are truly grateful, along with the cooperation of the USGA’s five regional offices, is a collaborative effort that provides players with a unique pathway to emerge from many and compete for a major championship.”

In 2019, the USGA accepted 9,125 entries for the championship at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. The record of 10,127 was established for the 2014 championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

17 players advanced through local and final qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Pebble Beach. Of those 17, four players made the 36-hole cut. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and final play.

Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., has hosted U.S. Open local qualifying 47 of the last 48 years. (Illini CC photo)

LOCAL QUALIFYING

Fifty-two courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have long histories as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., will conduct a U.S. Open qualifier for the 42nd consecutive year. Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be a local site for the 44th time in the last 45 years. Additionally, Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club has hosted local qualifying since 1998, while Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has been a host site since 2003. Ironwood Country Club, in Palm Desert, Calif., will hold a local qualifier for the 20th consecutive year.

Six clubs will extend their consecutive years of hosting U.S. Open local qualifying well into double figures. They are: River Landing Golf Club, in Wallace, N.C.; Industry Hills Golf Club, in City of Industry, Calif.; The Club at Ruby Hill, in Pleasanton, Calif.; Indian Ridge Country Club, in Palm Desert, Calif.; La Purisima Golf Course, in Lompoc, Calif.; and Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia Course), in Pinehurst, N.C.

There are 14 local qualifying sites in California, the most of any state. Florida will host 13 local qualifiers, while Texas has six sites.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club (Witch Hollow Course), in North Plains, Ore., is hosting 36-hole final qualifying for the first time. (Pumpkin Ridge GC photo)

FINAL QUALIFYING

Final qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held at eight U.S. sites – two in Ohio and one each in California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York and Oregon – on Monday, June 8, and one site in Texas on Monday, May 18. For the 16th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international final qualifying, scheduled for May 25 and June 8, respectively. A final qualifier will be contested for the second time in Canada on June 8.

The Columbus, Ohio; Purchase, N.Y.; Daly City, Calif.; and Dallas, Texas, final sites will use two courses. In Columbus, Brookside Golf and Country Club and The Lakes Golf and Country Club will combine to host final qualifying for the 15th time. Seven players from the Columbus qualifier made the 36-hole cut in last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. Chesson Hadley, who tied for ninth, was among that group.

Century Country Club and Old Oaks Country Club will join to host final qualifying in Purchase for the 16th time since 1963. Lake Merced Golf Club and The Olympic Club’s Ocean Course are paired in Northern California for the fourth time. Lakewood Country Club and Royal Oaks Country Club will host the Dallas, Texas, qualifier. Lakewood (2013, 2017) and Royal Oaks (1973, 1979) have twice been sites for final qualifying but will collaborate for the first time.

Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., will host U.S. Open final qualifying for the 33rd time in the last 34 years, with only the North Course used for the seventh consecutive year. Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek Course, in Roswell, Ga., has been a final qualifying site in alternate years since 1994 and will host for the 13th time. Springfield Country Club in Ohio will host final qualifying for the 11th consecutive year and 12th time in 13 years.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Witch Hollow Course, in North Plains, Ore., and The Club at Admiral’s Cove (North/West Courses), in Jupiter, Fla., will each host a final qualifier for the first time. The Witch Hollow Course has been the site of two U.S. Women’s Opens (1997, 2003) and the 1996 U.S. Amateur, which was won by Tiger Woods. The Club at Admiral’s Cove was a U.S. Open local qualifying site for 11 consecutive years through 2019.

Canada is a host site for U.S. Open final qualifying for the second consecutive year. RattleSnake Point Golf Club, in Milton, Ontario, will use its CopperHead Course. Alex Prugh, who tied for 21st in last year’s U.S. Open, was among five players from the Canadian qualifier who made the 36-hole cut at Pebble Beach.

Walton Heath Golf Club in England and Minagi Golf Club in Japan join Canada as international final qualifying sites. Six players made the cut in the 2019 U.S. Open after advancing from Walton Heath, which is hosting for the 16th consecutive year.

Online player registration for the 2020 U.S. Open will begin in the first week of March (https://champs.usga.org/index.html).

About the U.S. Open Local Qualifying

Road to the U.S. Open: 109 local, 12 sectional qualifiers set

18-hole stroke play qualifier open to male amateurs with a handicap of 0.4 and below. Players who advance will get to choose their top three sectional qualifying sites. The number of qualifying spots will depend on the size of the field.

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