Sectional Qualifying Complete for U.S. Open


Bad weather scrambled the schedules at several qualifying sites for the 2012 U.S. Open. But by Wednesday, the qualifying had been completed and the United States Golf Association (USGA) was able to announce that 58 players earned a place in the championship, which will be played June 14-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

Overnight rain continued into the day at Germantown Country Club in Memphis, Tenn., where play was suspended at 9:19 a.m. Eighty-four players returned to the course Tuesday, where Tommy Biershenk of Inman, S.C., earned medalist honors at 9-under-par 133. Also advancing were Aaron Watkins of Mesa, Ariz., Joe Ogilvie of Austin, amateur Hunter Hamrick of Montgomery, Ala., Joe Durant of Pensacola, Fla., Stephen Ames of Canada, Bill Lunde of Las Vegas, Hunter Haas of Fort Worth, and Roberto Castro of Alpharetta, Ga.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, who won his second Open at The Olympic Club in 1998, was among those who failed to advance at Germantown CC.

Lightning forced a one-hour and 50-minute delay at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., where 74 players competed for four spots. Cameron Wilson, a 19-year-old Stanford University sophomore, carded a 7-under-par 65 on the South Course in the afternoon to earn medalist honors. His round was one stroke off the competitive course record by Tom Pernice Jr., who posted his 64 seven years ago in U.S. Open qualifying.

Wilson, of Rowayton, Conn., was also one of two left-handers to advance from his site, joining 49-year-old Suburban Country Club head professional Mark McCormick, of Middletown, N.J., who was qualifying on Monday with his son, Ryan, a sophomore at St. John's University. Brian Gaffney of Rumson, N.J., and Jim Herman of Palm City, Fla., are also heading to San Francisco.

Similar wet weather at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Ore., halted play for two hours from 3-5 p.m. PDT. Two spots were available at Emerald Valley Golf Club - one was earned by University of Oregon coach Casey Martin, who last played in the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in 1998. The other was determined Tuesday morning when amateur Nick Sherwood, a junior at Oregon State, edged University of Oregon senior Daniel Miernicki in a three-hole playoff. Miernicki will be the first alternate, while the second alternate is Chris Williams, a native of Moscow, Idaho, and an All-American at the University of Washington.

Martin has a painful circulatory disorder in his right leg that will allow him ride at cart at Olympic. His former teammate at Stanford, Tiger Woods, was impressed with his friend's performance. "Simply incredible," Woods tweeted Tuesday. "Ability, attitude and guts. See you at Olympic Casey."

Rainy conditions caused a 32-minute delay at The River Club in Suwanee, Ga., where 51 players vied for three places. PGA Tour/Nationwide Tour player Jason Bohn, of Acworth, was the medalist. He advanced along with Casey Wittenberg of Memphis and Tim Weinhart of Alpharetta, Ga.

In Columbus, Ohio, where golfers played historic Scioto C.C. and the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University, 16 spots were awarded. Davis Love III, the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup captain and the 1997 PGA champion, was one of the qualifiers.

Also qualifying at Scioto were medalist Charlie Wi of Los Angeles; Blake Adams of Swainsboro, Ga., Kevin Streelman of Scottsdale; Brian Harman of St. Simons Island, Ga., D.A. Points of Purcellville, Va.; David Mathis of Wake Forest, N.C.; Steve Marino of Saint Simons Island, Ga.; Steve Lebrun of West Palm Beach; Rod Pampling of Purcellville, Va.; Martin Flores of Dallas; Jesse Mueller of Mesa, Ariz.; Edward Loar of Dallas; Dennis Miller of Youngstown, Ohio; Morgan Hoffman of Jupiter, Fla.; and Scott Piercy of Las Vegas, who beat Justin Hicks of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., in a playoff to earn the final spot.

Texan Bob Estes earned his 15th trip to a U.S. Open by being medalist at Lakeside C.C. in Houston. Also advancing are Alistair Presnell of Scottsdale and Brian Rowell of Lafayette, La. But Jordan Spieth, of Dallas, who joined Tiger Woods last summer by becoming a multiple U.S. Junior Amateur champion, settled for first-alternate status after losing out for the final spot in a playoff. The second alternate is 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Cory Whitsett, who grew up at Lakeside.

The first sectional qualifier for the 2012 U.S. Open was held May 21 in Japan, where six spots were determined. An additional 11 players earned places in the field at another international qualifier in Surrey, England, on May 28.

Complete results from all the qualifying sites can be found at http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/sectional.html.

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