USGA Announces 2013 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Sites


The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced sectional qualifying sites for the 2013 U.S. Open Championship, which will be held at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., on June 13-16.

Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held on June 3 at 11 sites in the U.S. For the ninth consecutive year, Japan and England will host international qualifying, which is scheduled for May 27.

"We are grateful for the support and commitment provided by the state and regional associations and international community during the local and sectional qualifying process," said USGA Vice President and Championship Committee Chairman Thomas J. O'Toole Jr. "The U.S. Open has a broad appeal as evidenced by the fact that any amateur golfer can enter, provided they meet the Handicap Index® requirement. The opportunity to take sectional qualifying to all parts of the United States and international sites promotes the game of golf."

Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., will host U.S. Open sectional qualifying for the 24th time in the last 25 years. The course, which moved to its current location in 1950, has two 18-hole layouts (North and South) and has produced a pair of historic qualifying rounds. Shigeki Maruyama fired a 58 in 2000 and Olin Browne carded a 59, with an eagle-eagle finish, in 2005.

The Columbus, Ohio; Purchase, N.Y.; and Newport Beach, Calif., sectional sites will use two courses. In Ohio, Brookside Golf and Country Club and The Lakes Golf and Country Club have combined to host qualifying five times, including 2010 and 2011. Old Oaks Country Club and Century Country Club have partnered as a sectional site in New York on four occasions since 2003. Big Canyon Country Club and Newport Beach Country Club are working together in Southern California. Big Canyon will also host the 2014 USGA Senior Amateur Championship. Newport Beach has conducted local qualifying in four of the last five years.

Old Warson Country Club, in St. Louis, will be a U.S. Open sectional qualifying site for the fourth time, and first since 2004. The club previously hosted the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur and 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur championships and the 2012 Metropolitan Amateur.

In Memphis, Tenn., Colonial Country Club will host a sectional qualifier for the first time since 2008. Colonial has held sectional qualifying three times since 2000 and was the site for a U.S. Open local qualifier last year. Hawks Ridge Golf Club, in Ball Ground, Ga., has hosted sectional qualifying in four of the last seven years.

Springfield Country Club in Ohio will host sectional qualifying for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in six years. John Peterson, who tied for fourth at last year's U.S. Open, was one of two qualifiers from this sectional site.

Ritz-Carlton Members Club, in Bradenton, Fla.; Tumble Creek Golf Club, in Cle Elum, Wash.; and Lakewood Country Club, in Dallas, are U.S. Open sectional sites for the first time. Ritz-Carlton Members Club has conducted two U.S. Open local qualifiers, while Tumble Creek was a U.S. Open local qualifying site in 2011. Lakewood hosted the Texas State Amateur for the third time in 2012.

England's Walton Heath Golf Club and Japan's Ohtone Country Club (West Course) are international sectional qualifying sites. Walton Heath, which is hosting for the ninth consecutive year, is where Michael Campbell, of New Zealand, qualified on his way to winning the 2005 U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open will be held for the fifth time at Merion Golf Club. Olin Dutra (1934), Ben Hogan (1950), Lee Trevino (1971) and David Graham (1981) are past champions at Merion. To be eligible for qualifying, a player must have a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional. Local qualifying, which will be played over 18 holes at 111 sites in the U.S., takes place between May 3-16.

Online player registration for the 2013 U.S. Open begins March 4th at https://champs.usga.org/index.html and continues through April 24 at 5 p.m.

2013 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Sites

May 27 - International

Ohtone Country Club (West Course), Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, England

June 3 - United States

Big Canyon Country Club & Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club, Bradenton, Fla.
Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Ga.
Woodmont Country Club, Rockville, Md.
Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.
Brookside Golf & Country Club & The Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio
Colonial Country Club, Memphis, Tenn.
Lakewood Country Club, Dallas, Texas
Tumble Creek Golf Club, Cle Elum, Wash.

The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.