Illinois' Tommy Kuhl DQ's himself after shooting a 62 in U.S. Open Qualifying

May 9, 2023 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Tommy Kuhl (Illinois Athletics photo)

Illinois standout places honesty and integrity in front of a chance to compete in the U.S. Open

As it turns out, shooting a course-record 62 in U.S. Open local qualifying at Illini Country Club in Springfield, Ill. won't land Illinois standout Tommy Kuhl a spot in a final stage qualifying after all.

As first reported by MondayQInfo.com, Kuhl carded a 10-under 62 at the Illini Country Club on Monday to take medalist honors at the local qualifier, a score that is more impressive considering the field was putting on recently aerated greens.

There's the rub.

After the round, Kuhl's Illinois teammate Jackson Buchannan mentioned how hard it was to putt on the aerated greens, a comment which left a knot in Kuhl's stomach.

While fixing spike marks on greens is now acceptable, fixing aeration marks is not, something Kuhl had done many times during his round.

Putting honesty and integrity in front of a chance to compete for a major championship, Kuhl reported his violation to the local rules official and was disqualified.

“I should know better," Kuhl told MondayQInfo.com. "It comes down to me. I should know that rule. I felt sick to my stomach. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t tell the rules official.”

Kuhl, a fifth-year senior, was coming off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Conference Championships, which was his seventh top-10 of the year. The Illini, currently ranked second by Golfweek/Sagarin, begins its quest for a national championship on Monday at the NCAA Bath Regional.

Let's hope the greens are in better shape.

About the U.S. Open Local Qualifying

Illinois' Tommy Kuhl DQ's himself after shooting a 62 in U.S. Open Qualifying

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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