Qualifying Sites Set for 2015 U.S. Open


The USGA has announced the local qualifying sites for the 2015 U.S. Open. The second major championship of the year will be held June 18-21 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. - the first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest.

Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 111 sites in 43 states, will take place May 4-21.

"U.S. Open local qualifying represents the start of an exciting two-tiered process in which thousands of golfers from around the world, both professional and amateur, pursue a place in this year's field at Chambers Bay and the opportunity to compete for our national championship," said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman.

"U.S. Open qualifying is conducted with the support and expertise provided by state and regional golf associations, and we appreciate their effort and commitment."

Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play. Last year, 24 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player field at Pinehurst.

Players who advance out of local qualifying will compete in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. sites on June 8. For the 11th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, both scheduled for May 25.

In 2014, the USGA accepted a record 10,127 entries for the championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club's Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. That total eclipsed the 9,860 for the 2013 championship at Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa.

Thirty-nine courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have a long history as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., has conducted a U.S. Open local qualifier since the late 1940s, while Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a site for more than four decades. Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club and Genoa Lakes Golf Club, in Genoa, Nev., have hosted local qualifying since the 1990s. Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has also hosted for more than a decade. Omaha (Neb.) Country Club and Oak Tree National, in Edmond, Okla., the sites of the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Seniors Open, respectively, are also hosting U.S. Open local qualifiers.

There are 16 local qualifying sites in the state of Florida, and 14 in California.

Three other local qualifying sites have hosted historic USGA championships. Arnold Palmer won the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. Jack Nicklaus (1959 U.S. Amateur) and Annika Sorenstam (1995 U.S. Women's Open) won USGA titles at The Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course) in Colorado Springs, and Johnny Miller captured the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

Several local exemptions for the U.S. Open were amended prior to 2014. The top-500 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking (as of March 2) will be exempt. Any player in the OWGR's top 500 (as of April 27) who has filed an entry prior to the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 29 will also earn a local exemption. In the past, only the top 150 point leaders were exempted.

Additionally, any player who has had multiple finishes in the top 400 of the year-ending OWGR in the past five calendar years (2010-2014) will be exempt from local qualifying.

To be eligible for U.S. Open local qualifying, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.

The above report is courtesy of the USGA (www.usga.org). For a list of the qualifying sites, visit http://www.usga.org/news/2015/February/U-S--Open-Local-Qualifying-Sites-Announced. Online player registration for the 2015 U.S. Open will begin the first week of March (https://champs.usga.org/index.html).