U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Storylines


On June 4, 11 golf courses around the country will host sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. The second major championship will be held June 14-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Here are some of the entrants in this year's sectional qualifying; their unique stories have been provided by the USGA. For further details and complete results following qualifying, go to http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/sectional.html.

Lake Merced Golf Club & TPC Harding Park (Daly City & San Francisco, Calif.) (129 players for six spots)

• Michael Allen, 53, was born in nearby San Mateo, Calif., and is a member of The Olympic Club. He has played in five U.S. Opens. Allen won the 2009 Senior PGA Championship and has a pair of top-10 finishes in his two U.S. Senior Opens.
• Timothy Bogue, a 44-year-old professional from Windsor, Calif., is a longshoreman at the port of Oakland.
• Brian Campbell of Irvine, Calif., just completed his freshman season on the University of Illinois golf team. He advanced through local qualifying along with his coach (Mike Small) and teammate (Luke Guthrie).
• David Chung, a Stanford University golfer, was the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up at age 14 at The Olympic Club. As the 2010 U.S. Amateur runner-up, Chung earned an exemption into last year's U.S. Open.
• Dillon Dougherty, the 2005 U.S. Amateur runner-up, waited three hours at his local qualifier to find out he was in a six-man playoff. He made par on the first playoff hole to advance to sectionals.
• Derek Ernst was the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links runner-up, losing the championship match in 37 holes. He has twice been named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year as a member of the UNLV golf team.
• Raymund Gonzales Jr. is a sophomore on the Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School golf team who also plays San Diego Junior Golf. The 16-year-old started playing in his native Philippines at the age of 4.
• Paul Goydos, 47, has made 10 U.S. Open appearances. His best finish is a tie for 12th in 1999 at Pinehurst No. 2.
• Cameron Harrell, 18, is a freshman at Colorado State University. His brother (Kory) is a senior on the Rams' golf team. A native of Colorado Springs, Cameron placed 21st at the Mountain West Conference Championship.
• Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, Calif., is a 17-year-old junior at Santa Margarita High School. In 2011, he qualified for the U.S. Open, reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur and was the U.S. Junior Amateur stroke-play medalist and a match-play quarterfinalist. He qualified for the 2009 U.S. Amateur as an eighth grader.
• Domingo Jojola grew up in New Mexico and was a boxer until his family moved to San Francisco when he was in eighth grade. Jojola, 25, was among the first Junior Merit members at Lake Merced G.C., where he still has a membership. A graduate of San Francisco's Lincoln High, which produced U.S. Open champions Ken Venturi and Johnny Miller, he now plays on mini-tours.
• Jefferson Kao of Walnut, Calif., is a 15-year-old who plays on the Diamond Bar High School golf team. He advanced on the first playoff hole of U.S. Open local qualifying with a birdie.
• Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, Calif., is a senior at Estancia High who will attend UCLA in the fall. He fired the lowest score in local qualifying, a 10-under-par 61, including a 29 on the outward nine, at Newport Beach Country Club. He also advanced through local qualifying last year. His brother, Ryan, is a sophomore on the UC Irvine golf team.
• Joel Kribel of Pleasanton, Calif., was the 1997 U.S. Amateur runner-up (to Matt Kuchar) and played on the 1997 USA Walker Cup Team. Kribel, who played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, is one of two four-time All-Americans at Stanford University.
• Gus Lundquist of Parker, Colo., is a 17-year-old senior at Regis Jesuit High School. He led the program to its first state title in 2011 as the Class 5A medalist. He has a 3.9 grade-point average.
• Bob May, 43, primarily plays on the Nationwide Tour, but he is known for losing to Tiger Woods in a three-hole aggregate playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. He has played in two U.S. Opens, tying for 23rd in 2000 and tying for 30th in 2001.
• Jesus Ojeda of San Diego, Calif., is a Mexican-American who was introduced to golf through The First Tee Program in 1995. He is pursuing a career in golf management and is working on his Class A PGA certification.
• Thomas Petersson traveled from his native Sweden to attend the University of the Pacific on a golf scholarship. He earned a spot on the Canadian Tour in 2007, and he has played in about 40 events on that tour since then, with a top finish of 7th place at the 2010 Desert Dunes Classic. In local qualifying, he was medalist in a field of 86 at Mayacama Golf Club. He represents Lake Merced as one of its touring pros.
• Patrick Rodgers of Avon, Ind., was a member of the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team and a quarterfinalist at last year's U.S. Amateur. He just completed his first golf season at Stanford University and was named Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Year.
• Andrew Roque of Monterey Park, Calif., qualified for the Canadian Tour on Friday, May 11, and three days later was the local medalist at Oakmont C.C. in Glendale, Calif. An NCAA Division III All-American at the University of La Verne (Calif.), he was the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year.
• Max Scodro, a senior on the University of Notre Dame golf team, is a two-time Big East Conference Player of the Year. The Chicago native lost to eventual runner-up Patrick Cantlay in the first round of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship.
• J.J. Spaun reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links. A member of the San Diego State University golf team, he was chosen 2012 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. He made the round of 16 at the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• Chris Stein is the head golf professional at The Olympic Club. He was born in Burlingame, Calif., and took up golf at age 16. Stein was named assistant professional in 1984 and moved to his present position in 1999.
• Joshua Warthen of Pismo Beach, Calif., survived a three-way playoff in local qualifying. He is known for his 2007 appearance on Golf Channel's "The Big Break Mesquite" and made it to the final episode where he lost in the 18-hole final.
• Jeff Wilson, 48, of Fairfield, Calif., was the low amateur at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He also qualified for the 1992 and 2010 Opens (both at Pebble Beach).
• Shohei Yamawaki of Encinitas, Calif., is a junior on the La Costa Canyon High golf team. He earned 2012 All-Scholastic honors and plays San Diego Junior Golf.

Black Diamond Ranch, Quarry Course (Lecanto, Fla.) (58 players for three spots)

• Tyson Alexander of Gainesville, Fla., was the medalist at local qualifying and hopes to join his father and grandfather to make three generations of U.S. Open golfers. His father, Buddy, is the University of Florida golf coach and the 1986 U.S. Amateur champion. His grandfather, Skip, tied for 11th at the 1948 Open, held at Riviera Country Club.
• Kristian Caparros, a 16-year-old freshman from Miami Lakes, Fla., advanced through a local qualifying playoff. A Rolex All-American at American Heritage School, he has already verbally committed to attend the University of Florida.
• Derek Fathauer of Stuart, Fla., was a 2007 U.S. Amateur quarterfinalist at The Olympic Club who tied for 69th in his lone U.S. Open appearance at Torrey Pines in 2008.
• Rigel Fernandes, age 15, fired a 67 with seven birdies in his Bradenton, Fla., local qualifier. He is a native of Mangalore, one of India's principal port cities, and attends IMG Academies in Florida. Fernandes was a 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur participant.
• Daniel Jaramillo is a 15-year-old from Colombia. Jaramillo, who lives in Bradenton, Fla., has attended IMG Academies for the last four years.
• Jeff Leonard, 47, was the medalist at Waterlefe Golf & River Club with a round of 64. He is the program director for the Tampa (Fla.) First Tee Program. Starting in 1997, he gave up golf for a three-year period.
• Andres Pumariega made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole in local qualifying to advance. A native of Miami, Fla., he had to overcome a one-stroke, slow-play penalty on his group. Pumariega, who plays at George Washington University, immediately took a flight to the NCAA Greensboro Regional.
• Thomas Stankowski, a 46-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., is the brother of Paul Stankowski, the winner of two PGA Tour events who also played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club.
• Arnond Vongvanij was born in Hawaii, grew up in Thailand and moved to Florida at age 12. He advanced to match play at the 2005 U.S. Amateur and was the 2011 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year at the University of Florida. He made the Asian Tour through qualifying school.
• Carl Yuan is a 15-year-old who moved to the United States from the People's Republic of China in the summer of 2011. He attends EaglesDream Golf Academy. Yuan fired a 5-under-par 67 and made a 15-foot par putt to get into a four-way playoff in local qualifying.
• Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla., is the youngest player to advance to sectional qualifying. The 14-year-old (born on Dec. 14, 1997) is originally from the People's Republic of China, but now attends the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy. He recently set a scoring record (nine under par) in winning on the IMG Junior Golf Tour (Boys 15-18 division).

The River Club (Suwanee, Ga.) (51 players for three spots)

• Bubba Dickerson captured the 2001 U.S. Amateur Championship at East Lake G.C. in Atlanta. He was also the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links runner-up.
• Mitch Krywulycz, an Australian who plays on the eGolf Tour, shot a 64 in local qualifying. He helped lead Augusta State (Ga.) University to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships in 2010 and 2011.
• Russell Henley finished as low amateur with Scott Langley at the 2010 U.S. Open when they tied for 16th at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Henley, who attended the University of Georgia, won a Nationwide Tour event last year as an amateur. He was a member of the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team.
• Patrick Sheehan tied for 29th in his lone U.S. Open appearance at Torrey Pines in 2008. His college teammates at the University of Hartford were PGA Tour professionals Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic.
• D.J. Tozier of Mechanicville, N.Y., is a senior at Shenendehowa High School, just north of Albany. He advanced in his first Open qualifier and plays at Western Turnpike, a public golf course. He will attend Columbus (Ga.) State University.
• Casey Wittenberg was the runner-up at the 2003 U.S. Amateur, held at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, and was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup Team. He has played in four U.S. Opens.

Village Links of Glen Ellyn (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) (49 players for two spots)

• Brad Benjamin was one of three amateurs to make the cut at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. Benjamin, 25, won the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. He is the second left-hander to win the Amateur Public Links.
• Tim Herron represents three generations of U.S. Open competitors. His father (Carson Jr.) played in the 1963 Open and his grandfather (Carson) appeared in the 1934 Open. He has made nine Open appearances, including a sixth-place finish in 1999. Herron, who has four PGA Tour wins, tied for 53rd at the U.S. Open held at The Olympic Club in 1998. His sister, Alissa, won the 1999 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.
• Tom Pernice Jr., 52, has appeared in 10 U.S. Opens. He tied for 13th in 1989, his best finish in a professional major. In 2009, he won on the Champions Tour in his debut. Corey Pavin, the 1995 U.S. Open champion, was his college teammate at UCLA.
• Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., is the men's golf coach at the University of Illinois. He has qualified for three U.S. Opens. Two of his current players (Luke Guthrie, Brian Campbell) have also advanced from local to sectional qualifying.

Woodmont Country Club (Rockville, Md.) (78 players for seven spots)

• Jeff Curl of Birmingham, Ala., plays on the Nationwide Tour and is the son of Rod Curl, the first full-blooded Native American to win a PGA Tour event.
• Sam Cyr was a two-time NAIA champion at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. A native of Makawao, Hawaii, he won the 52nd Mid-Pacific Open Championship.
• Fred Funk, the third-oldest player in sectional qualifying at age 55, won the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. He has twice finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open, including sixth in 2004. Funk, the former University of Maryland golf coach, has eight PGA Tour and seven Champions Tour victories.
• Jason Gore was a member of the 1997 USA Walker Cup Team and was in the final pairing with Retief Goosen at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where he shot a final-round 84 to finish in a tie for 49th. His first U.S. Open was in 1998 at The Olympic Club.
• Mike Larkin of Yorktown, N.Y., shot a 6-under-par 65 to earn medalist honors in local qualifying and reach sectionals for the first time. He considers his claim to fame being paired with Michelle Wie at a U.S. Amateur Public Links qualifier in 2005 and with Alexis Thompson in a mini-tour event earlier this year.
• Greg Matthias advanced from his local qualifier on the second playoff hole. A senior at the University of Delaware, he won the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association championship.
• Eddie Olson of Aptos, Calif., reached the 2007 U.S. Amateur quarterfinals at The Olympic Club. He played at UNLV and was California's high school state champion as a junior.
• Ji Soo Park of Clifton, Va., is a freshman golfer at the University of Virginia. He placed second at the 2011 Virginia State Amateur.
• Michael Thompson was the 2007 U.S. Amateur runner-up at The Olympic Club. He was named 2008 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year at the University of Alabama.
• Michael Tobiason Jr. played in his first U.S. Open last year at Congressional Country Club. Tobiason, who wears black socks during competition, plays on Florida mini-tours and was a two-time All-American player at NCAA Division II Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware.
• Charles Warren has three Nationwide Tour wins. He won the 1997 NCAA Division I individual championship as a member of the Clemson University golf team. Warren has played in two U.S. Opens.
• Drew Weaver won the 2007 British Amateur Championship and was a member of the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team. He tied for 40th in his lone U.S. Open appearance in 2009 at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. Weaver played collegiate golf at Virginia Tech.

Canoe Brook Country Club (Summit, N.J.) (73 players for four spots)

• Bill Britton is the second-oldest player (age 56) among this year's U.S. Open sectional qualifiers, and the oldest to advance out of local qualifying. Britton, who last played in the Open in 1989, spent 15 years on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for 21st, the low club pro in the Senior PGA Championship, a Champions Tour major, on May 27 in Benton Harbor, Mich. He is a teacher and author and was named the 2006 New Jersey Section Senior Player of the Year.
• Luke List was the runner-up at the 2004 U.S. Amateur to Ryan Moore at Winged Foot Golf Club. He is currently first on the Nationwide Tour money list. He has one victory and four top-10 finishes this season.
• Jim Liu became the youngest champion (age 14) in the history of the U.S. Junior Amateur when he won in 2010. Liu, now a 16-year-old, plans to attend Stanford University. The Smithtown, N.Y., resident reached the Junior Amateur's round of 16 last year.
• Matt Lowe, 16, advanced through local qualifying as a 13-year-old in 2009. He has moved on to sectional play again as a sophomore at Farmingdale (N.Y.) High School.
• Mark McCormick, the head professional at Suburban Country Club, qualified at Alpine (N.J.) Country Club. He will play in the same sectional with his son, Ryan.
• Ryan McCormick, a sophomore on the St. John's University golf team, was medalist in a local qualifier at Wheatley Hills Golf Club in East Williston, N.Y. He will play in the same sectional as his father, Mark.
• Chris Nallen was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup Team. He reached the 2004 U.S. Amateur semifinals, and during the championship defeated Anthony Kim in match play. Nallen was a four-time All-America player at the University of Arizona.
• Kirk Satterfield is an assistant professional at the Golf Club of Purchase. He won the 2012 Westchester PGA on the 20th hole in the championship match.
• Kyle Sterbinsky of Yardley, Pa., is a 15-year-old freshman at the Peddie School in New Jersey. He helped his scholastic team win the Mercer County Championship. Sterbinsky reached the quarterfinals of the 111th Philadelphia Amateur.
• Marc Turnesa, who played in his first U.S. Open last year, comes from a famous golf family. His great uncle, Joe, was runner-up at the 1926 Open. His great uncle, Willie, won the 1938 and 1948 U.S. Amateur. His great uncle, Jim, won the 1952 PGA Championship. His grandfather, Mike, garnered six PGA Tour victories.
• Cameron Young, a freshman at Fordham Prep and native of Scarborough, N.Y., shot a 69, with three birdies and no bogeys, at Trump National G.C. Westminster to share medalist honors. The 15-year-old's father, Dave, is the head professional at Sleepy Hollow Country Club. His aunt, Marjorie Jones, is a teaching professional at The Golf Club Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

Scioto Country Club & OSU Scarlet Course (Columbus, Ohio) (132 players, spots TBD)

• Robert Allenby has made 14 U.S. Open appearances. His best finish is a tie for seventh in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
• Stuart Appleby has played in 14 U.S. Opens. His best finish came at The Olympic Club in 1998 when he tied for 10th.
• Ricky Barnes won the 2002 U.S. Amateur Championship by defeating Hunter Mahan at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan. He tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open and tied for 10th the following year at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He also qualified for the 2000 U.S. Open as a 19-year-old amateur.
• Bud Cauley tied for 63rd at the 2011 U.S. Open, the lowest finisher of those who qualified through local and sectional play. Cauley, who was an All-American at the University at Alabama, played in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Amateurs and the 2009 Walker Cup Match.
• Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, owns four PGA Tour wins. He has played in seven U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for 14th in 2010 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
• James Driscoll was the runner-up at the 2000 U.S. Amateur and a member of the 2001 USA Walker Cup Team. In 2000, he defeated Luke Donald in the U.S. Amateur semifinals before losing to Jeff Quinney in the championship final that went 39 holes. Driscoll was also the 1995 Junior Amateur runner-up.
• Colt Knost won the 2007 U.S. Amateur at The OIympic Club. He defeated Michael Thompson, 2 and 1, in the championship match. He also won the U.S. Amateur Public Links title that year to join Ryan Moore as the only players to win both titles in the same year. He concluded his amateur career by playing in the 2007 Walker Cup Match at Royal County Down.
• Kelly Kraft, 23, is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and a member of the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team. He defeated Patrick Cantlay, 2 up, in the Amateur championship match. After playing in the Masters Tournament, Kraft turned professional, thereby forfeiting his U.S. Open exemption.
Davis Love III is the United States captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup. He has made 22 U.S. Open appearances and owns five top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open, including a tie for second in 1996. Love has 20 PGA Tour victories and won the 1997 PGA Championship.
• Bryden Macpherson, a 21-year-old from Australia, is the reigning British Amateur champion. Macpherson, who played as a collegian at the University of Georgia, earned an exemption into the 2011 British Open and an invitation to the 2012 Masters Tournament as the Amateur champion. He turned professional after the Masters, forfeiting his U.S. Open exemption.
• Jon McDonald, of Bonita Springs, Fla., shared medalist honors in the largest U.S. Open local qualifier field. Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati advanced 11 golfers from a 168-player field. He plays on the West Florida Tour.
• Rocco Mediate, 49, was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Open. He lost a playoff to Tiger Woods in 19 holes at Torrey Pines G.C. Mediate has made 15 Open appearances.
• Tim Mickelson of San Diego, Calif., is the brother of four-time major champion Phil Mickelson and the head men's golf coach at Arizona State University. One of his ASU players (Austin Quick) also advanced through local qualifying. Mickelson was a 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist.
• Corbin Mills is the reigning U.S. Amateur Public Links champion. He and fellow Clemson University player D.J. Trahan are the only golfers since 1993 to win medalist honors en route to the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship.
• Ryan Moore is a three-time USGA champion, having won the 2004 U.S. Amateur, 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links and 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links. He was also the 2000 U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up. He has made six U.S. Open appearances, with his best finish a tie for 10th in 2009.
• Camilo Villegas has made seven U.S. Open appearances, including a tie for ninth in 2008. The native of Colombia was the runner-up at the 1999 U.S. Junior Amateur to Hunter Mahan.
• Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters Tournament champion, has played in 12 U.S. Opens. Weir has four top-10 finishes, including a tie for third in 2003. He owns eight PGA Tour victories.

Springfield Country Club (Springfield, Ohio) (44 players for two spots)

• Brian Davis has had skin cancer twice and is affiliated with The Skin Cancer Foundation and its education and prevention programs. Davis, who has played in three U.S. Opens, is also a supporter of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Fla., which has assisted in caring for two of his children.
• Thomas Muto shared medalist honors in the largest U.S. Open local qualifier field. Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati advanced 11 golfers from a 168-player field. Muto plays on the Gateway Tour.
• Seung-Yul Noh is attempting to play in his third U.S. Open, having tied for 40th in 2010 and tied for 30th last year. He was the medalist at the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to eventual champion Cory Whitsett in the round of 16. In 2010, Noh became the second-youngest winner (18 years, 282 days) ever on the European Tour.
• John Peterson, the 2011 NCAA Division I individual champion from Baton Rouge, La., fired a 9-under-par 63, including eagle on the par-5 18th, in local qualifying. A three-time All-American at Louisiana State University, he reached the round of 16 at the 2011 U.S. Amateur and round of 32 at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links.
• Lee Rinker, a 51-year-old professional, comes from a golfing family. His brother Larry has played on the PGA Tour and his sister Laurie has competed on the LPGA Tour. Rinker has made five U.S. Open appearances.
• Ryan Yip of Calgary, Alberta, joined the Canadian Tour in 2007. He played as a collegian at Kent State University, a program that produced 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis.

Emerald Valley Golf Club (Creswell,Ore.) (37 players for two spots)

• Billy Bomar claimed the lone spot available in local qualifying at Settlers Bay Golf Club in Alaska. The 49-year-old will attempt to qualify for the Champions Tour in October.
• Casey Martin is the head golf coach at the University of Oregon. At age 26, Martin played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, using a cart in competition due to a disability (Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome). One of his Oregon players (Sean Maekawa) has also advanced to sectional qualifying.
• Jim Mee of Libby, Mont., plays at Carroll College and led his squad to a conference championship and a spot at the NAIA Championship. • Kevin Pomarleau, 43, is the state of Washington's reigning mid-amateur champion. He reached the round of 16 at the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the first round of match play in 2011.
• Dan Whitaker of Ellensburg, Wash., was the lone golfer to break par at his Cle Elum, Wash., local qualifier, highlighted by an eagle when he holed out from 121 yards with a pitching wedge on the par-4 ninth hole. Whitaker advanced to sectional qualifying for the third time, but is still seeking his first U.S. Open berth. He was the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up to Trip Kuehne at Bandon Dunes.

Germantown Country Club (Memphis, Tenn.) (84 players, spots TBD)

• Stephen Ames has made nine U.S. Open appearances. He tied for ninth in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and has three top-10 finishes.
• Woody Austin has appeared in seven U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for 23rd in 1996 at Oakland Hills Country Club.
• Glen Day has made six U.S. Open appearances, but has not played in the championship since 2001. He tied for 23rd at The Olympic Club in 1998.
• David Duval, the 2001 British Open champion, tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open and has four top-10 finishes. He won the 1989 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• Luke Guthrie of Quincy, Ill., is the 2012 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year from the University of Illinois. He was the medalist at the Springfield, Ill., local qualifier. His coach (Mike Small) and teammate (Brian Campbell) also advanced through local qualifying.
• Hunter Haas won the 1999 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. His lone U.S. Open appearance came in 2008 at Torrey Pines Golf Course. He owns four Nationwide Tour victories.
• Lee Janzen, 45, won the U.S. Open in 1993 and 1998. The late Payne Stewart, a two-time Open champion, finished second in both of his victories. Janzen is among 18 players to have won multiple U.S. Open titles. He has not played in the Open since 2008 and is one of two past champions entered in sectional qualifying (Tom Kite).
• Danny Lee won the 2008 U.S. Amateur and is now the second-youngest champion in the championship's history behind 2009 champion Byeong-Hun An. Lee, who is attempting to play in his first U.S. Open, was born in Korea and moved to New Zealand at age 8.
• Justin Leonard, the 1997 British Open champion, has made 16 U.S. Open appearances. His best finish was a tie for 12th in 2002. He won the 1992 U.S. Amateur and was the 1994 NCAA Division I individual champion. He also played on the 1993 USA Walker Cup Team.
• Jeff Maggert, 48, has appeared in 15 U.S. Opens, but has not qualified since 2005. He has finished in the top 10 seven times, including third-place finishes in 2002 and 2004. Maggert tied for seventh at The Olympic Club in 1998.
• Billy Mayfair, 45, has played in 14 U.S. Opens. He tied for fifth in 2002 at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. Mayfair won the 1987 U.S. Amateur and 1986 U.S. Amateur Public Links, becoming the first player to win both titles.
• Jeff Quinney won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club. He has split time on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour during his professional career. Quinney was a member of the 2001 USA Walker Cup Team.
• Anthony Rodriguez of San Antonio, Texas, fired a 63 in local qualifying at Briggs Ranch Golf Club, site of the 2012 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, to earn medalist honors. He appeared on Golf Channel's "The Big Break" and receives guidance from golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez (no relation).
• D.J. Trahan has played in three U.S. Opens. He won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and was a member of the 2001 USA Walker Cup Team.
• Stan Utley, 50, made his Champions Tour debut at the Toshiba Classic two months ago. He was listed by Golf Digest as one of America's 50 greatest teachers. A Scottsdale, Ariz., resident, he finished 61st at the 1991 U.S. Open.

Lakeside Country Club (Houston, Texas) (56 players for three spots)

• Bob Estes, 46, has made 14 U.S. Open appearances. His best finish was a tie for 11th in 2005 at Pinehurst No. 2.
• Steve Gilley of The Woodlands, Texas, advanced through local qualifying at Miramont Country Club 45 days after suffering a stroke. His wife, Kelly, was his caddie at the qualifier.
• Todd Hamilton, 46, won the 2004 British Open by defeating Ernie Els in a four-hole aggregate playoff. He had made eight U.S. Open appearances with a pair of ties for 36th place in 2008 and 2009.
• Tom Kite, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, is the oldest player (age 62) in sectional qualifying. Kite, who has four top-10 U.S. Open finishes, owns 19 PGA Tour victories and joins Lee Janzen as the only past U.S. Open champions in sectional qualifying.
• Austin Quick of Scottsdale, Ariz., is a freshman at Arizona State University who tied for 53rd at the Pacific-12 Conference Championship. His coach (Tim Mickelson) has advanced to sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio.
• Nemanja Savic is the first professional golfer from Serbia. He was born in Belgrade in 1983 and moved to Zambia, where he learned to play golf and competed on the national swimming team. He attended college in the United States and is currently on the NGA Tour. • Jordan Spieth won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateurs, the lone golfer besides Tiger Woods to have won the championship multiple times. A freshman at the University of Texas, he was a quarterfinalist at last year's U.S. Amateur and played on the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team.
• Cory Whitsett, a sophomore at the University at Alabama, won the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur, one of five left-handers to win a USGA title. He was named the 2011 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year.

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