USGA Accepts Third-Highest Number of U.S. Open Championship Entries
Far Hills, NJ (PRWEB) April 28, 2016 -- The United States Golf Association (USGA) has accepted a total of 9,877 entries for the 2016 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
The number of entries is third to the record 10,127 accepted for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, and the 9,882 entries accepted for last year’s championship at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash. Among this year’s total are 50 players, including 12 past champions, who are fully exempt into the field (see list below).
The USGA accepted entries for the 116th U.S. Open from golfers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 72 foreign countries.
“The number of entries received underlines the global appeal of the U.S. Open Championship and the historical greatness of Oakmont Country Club,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “We look forward to conducting local and sectional qualifying and to hosting the U.S. Open at Oakmont for a record ninth time on June 16-19.”
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional. Local qualifying, which will be played over 18 holes at 111 sites in the United States, will take place between May 2-19.
Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, will be conducted on Monday, May 23, in Japan, on Monday, May 30, in England and on Monday, June 6, at 10 sites in the United States, ranging from New Jersey to California. This will be the 12th year with two international qualifiers, which were established in 2005.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 champion, and 11 other champions are fully exempt from having to qualify for the championship. They are: Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Jim Furyk (2003), Lucas Glover (2009), Martin Kaymer (2014), Graeme McDowell (2010), Rory McIlroy (2011), Geoff Ogilvy (2006), Justin Rose (2013), Webb Simpson (2012) and Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008).
Cabrera won the most recent U.S. Open played at Oakmont, when he held off Furyk and Woods by one stroke in 2007. Among the previous Open champions at Oakmont are Ben Hogan (1953), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Johnny Miller (1973), Larry Nelson (1983) and Els (1994). Nicklaus defeated hometown hero Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff for the first of his record 18 major championships. Miller shot a final-round 63 to defeat John Schlee by one stroke. Miller was the first player to shoot 63 in a major, and it is still the lowest final-round score to win a major championship.
For the sixth consecutive year, only online entries were accepted. The USGA received 620 entries on the last day applications were accepted (April 27), including 122 applications in the final hour. Gordon Vietmeier, a 48-year-old professional from Pittsburgh, Pa., submitted his entry just 37 seconds before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT. Anthony Monica, a 33-year-old amateur from Panama City, Fla., was the first entrant when entries opened on March 9.
The number of fully exempt players will increase with the inclusion of the top 60 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking®, as of May 23 and June 13. The winners of The Players Championship (May 12-15) and European Tour BMW PGA Championship (May 26-29) will also earn exemptions.
This year marks the eighth time – and the fifth in a row – that the USGA has accepted more than 9,000 entries for the U.S. Open. The first time was in 2005, when 9,048 entries were accepted for the championship at Pinehurst No. 2. A total of 9,086 golfers entered the 2009 championship at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. In 2010, 9,052 golfers entered the championship at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. The USGA accepted 9,006 entries for the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco and 9,860 for the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa.
More information about the U.S. Open before, during and after the 2016 championship at Oakmont Country Club is available at http://www.usopen.com.
The list of the 50 golfers who are fully exempt into the 2016 U.S. Open (as of April 27):
a-Derek Bard
Daniel Berger
Steven Bowditch
Keegan Bradley
Angel Cabrera
Paul Casey
Darren Clarke
Jason Day
Jason Dufner
Ernie Els
Harris English
Rickie Fowler
Jim Furyk
Lucas Glover
Branden Grace
Bill Haas
Charley Hoffman
J.B. Holmes
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
Martin Kaymer
Kevin Kisner
Brooks Koepka
Matt Kuchar
Danny Lee
Shane Lowry
Jeff Maggert
Hideki Matsuyama
Graeme McDowell
Rory McIlroy
Phil Mickelson
Kevin Na
Geoff Ogilvy
Louis Oosthuizen
Scott Piercy
a-Jon Rahm
Patrick Reed
Justin Rose
Charl Schwartzel
Adam Scott
Webb Simpson
Cameron Smith
Brandt Snedeker
Jordan Spieth
Henrik Stenson
Robert Streb
Jimmy Walker
Bubba Watson
Danny Willett
Tiger Woods
Bold – U.S. Open champion
a-amateur
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.
The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit http://www.usga.org.
Brian DePasquale, United States Golf Association, http://www.usga.org, +1 (908) 326-1884, [email protected]
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