USGA Announces 25 More Exempt Players for 2014 U.S. Open


The United States Golf Association has announced that 25 additional golfers, including 2000 U.S. Open runner-up Miguel Angel Jimenez, have earned full exemptions into the 2014 U.S. Open, to be played June 12-15 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club's Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 75.

All 25 exemptions were awarded to players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 26. Jimenez, who tied for second with Ernie Els, 15 strokes behind Tiger Woods in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, is ranked No. 27. He has played in 12 previous U.S. Opens and has two top 10s, including a tie for sixth in the 2008 U.S. Open, also won by Woods, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Thomas Bjorn, Jonas Blixt, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Harris English, Matthew Every, Stephen Gallacher, Russell Henley, Thongchai Jaidee, Matt Jones, Chris Kirk, Pablo Larrazabal, Joost Luiten, Francesco Molinari, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, John Senden, Kevin Stadler, Richard Sterne, Brendon Todd, Jimmy Walker and Lee Westwood.

Among the noteworthy players not playing in the upcoming U.S. Open is three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, who shot rounds of 75 and 71 for a 2-over 146 in the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at Walton Heath Golf Club on Monday. The Irishman is ranked 214th in the latest Official World Golf Ranking; in 2009 he was No. 3. Harrington also missed the Masters this year and didn't qualify for the Players Championship.

Todd moved up six positions in the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 57 by tying for fifth in the PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which ended May 25. Larrazabal climbed seven spots to No. 59 in the OWGR after tying for seventh in the European Tour's BMW PGA Championship last weekend. The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the inclusion of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 9.

The first two sectional qualifiers for the 2014 U.S. Open were held May 26, in Japan, where six spots in the 156-player field were determined, and in Surrey, England, where 14 players qualified. Those 20 players are in addition to the 75 fully exempt players listed below.

Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 2. The sites are: Lake Merced Golf Club & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), Daly City, Calif.; Quail Valley Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.; Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), Roswell, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North & South Courses), Rockville, Md.; Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio; Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, Ore.; Colonial Country Club (North & South Courses), Memphis, Tenn., and Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas.

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club's Course No. 2 is hosting the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open in back-to-back weeks in June, the first time the championships will be held in consecutive weeks on the same course. The U.S. Open was previously held at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999 (won by Payne Stewart) and 2005 (won by Michael Campbell).

A list of the 75 golfers fully exempt into the 2014 U.S. Open as of May 26 can be found at http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/exemptions.html. The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.