By Dylan Hoffman, for AmateurGolf.com
The crowds were out for a hot and challenging “Golf’s Longest Day” at Gaston Country Club, one of 10 sites of Final Qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Golf fans who braved the heat were rewarded with an action-packed day of golf on a beautiful track.
A field that included PGA TOUR winners, as well as elite amateurs, battled it out on a difficult yet scoreable course. Tight family bonds were on display throughout the day, starting early with the father-son duo of Bill Haas and his young son, Will, on the bag. They found themselves near the top of the leaderboard after the first 18 holes, shooting a 7-under 63. Unfortunately, the duo ran out of gas during the second round and missed out on a potentially magical story, finishing outside the cut line at 5-under after 36 holes.
Jackson Ormond (Rochester, N.Y.), an elite amateur currently committed to the University of Florida, started his day with a double bogey on the 1st hole but never looked back. He rattled off 14 birdies and one eagle over his remaining 35 holes to finish tied atop the leaderboard at 12-under. A long and emotional embrace with his father followed on the final green, both knowing he had just punched his ticket to Shinnecock Hills.
Carl Yuan (China) also finished at 12-under, sharing medalist honors with Ormond. Yuan made just one bogey in his 36 holes of play, displaying a steadiness that kept him in contention throughout the day.
Jackson Van Paris (Pinehurst, N.C.) one-upped Yuan from a bogey-count perspective, playing all 36 holes without a bogey. Van Paris shared that this stellar showing almost came out of nowhere, having missed several cuts in a row on the Korn Ferry Tour leading up to Monday's performance. He stood one shot outside the cut line on the 17th tee, his 35th hole of the day, and finished one shot inside the number after closing birdie-birdie, including holing a mid-range birdie putt on the 18th to cap off his perfect day and finish at 11-under.
Brandon Wu (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Cole Hammer (Houston, Texas) rounded out the five qualifiers from the Gaston Country Club site. Both players turned in impressive performances, finishing at 11-under and combining for 28 birdies and one eagle during the marathon day. However, both made it closer than they would have liked down the stretch, each playing their final three holes in 1-over par.
All five qualifiers likely enjoyed the abundance of birdies they made Monday, as each will face what should be a much tougher and higher-scoring test at Shinnecock Hills in a couple of weeks.
The ever-popular PGA Tour player Harry Higgs (Dallas, Texas) earned first alternate status from the Gaston Country Club site, while Cristobal Del Solar (Chile) claimed the second alternate position.
