USGA Announces 27 Additional Players Exempt for 2016 U.S. Open Championship
Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB) May 24, 2016 -- The United States Golf Association today announced that 27 additional golfers, including U.S. Amateur champions Ryan Moore, Byeong Hun An and Matthew Fitzpatrick, have earned full exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Open Championship, to be played June 16-19 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 78.
All 27 exemptions were awarded to players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of May 23. Byeong Hun An, who won the 2009 U.S. Amateur, is ranked No. 26. He has played in two U.S. Opens. Fitzpatrick, who won the 2013 U.S. Amateur, is ranked No. 44. He tied for 48th and was the low amateur in the 2014 U.S. Open, his lone appearance. Moore, who claimed the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links titles and has four PGA Tour victories, is ranked No. 49. Moore has competed in nine previous U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for 10th in 2009 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course.
The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Kevin Chappell, Jamie Donaldson, Sergio Garcia, Emiliano Grillo, James Hahn, Billy Horschel, Thongchai Jaidee, Smylie Kaufman, K.T. Kim, Chris Kirk, Patton Kizzire, Soren Kjeldsen, Russell Knox, Anirban Lahiri, Marc Leishman, David Lingmerth, Andy Sullivan, Justin Thomas, Jaco Van Zyl, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger and Chris Wood.
Garcia, who recorded his ninth PGA Tour victory by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship on May 22, moved to No. 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is the highest-ranked player in the current OWGR that was not previously exempt into the U.S. Open. Garcia, who has also posted 11 PGA European Tour wins, has competed in 16 U.S. Opens and registered four top-10 finishes. He tied for third in 2005 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
The winner of the European Tour BMW PGA Championship (May 26-29) will also earn an exemption. The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the inclusion of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 13.
The first of two international sectional qualifiers for the 2016 U.S. Open was held May 23, in Japan, where four spots in the 156-player field were determined. England will host qualifying for the 12th consecutive year on May 30. Those players who qualify are in addition to the 78 fully exempt players listed below.
Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 6. The sites are: Lake Merced Golf Club & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), San Francisco, Calif.; Timuquana Country Club, Jacksonville, Fla.; Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), Roswell, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.; Canoe Brook Country Club (North and South Courses), Summit, N.J.; Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club & Wedgewood Golf and Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio; Germantown Country Club & Ridgeway Country Club, Memphis, Tenn.; Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas; and Royal Oaks Country Club, Vancouver, Wash.
The U.S. Open will be contested for a record ninth time at Oakmont Country Club. Previous U.S. champions at Oakmont are: Tommy Armour (1927), Sam Parks Jr. (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Johnny Miller (1973), Larry Nelson (1983), Ernie Els (1994) and Angel Cabrera (2007).
A list of the 78 golfers fully exempt into the 2016 U.S. Open as of May 23 (not including the four international sectional qualifiers from Japan) is below. It can also be found at this link: http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/exemptions.html.
2016 U.S. Open Exemption List (as of May 23):
Byeong Hun An 13
Kiradech Aphibarnrat 13
a-Derek Bard 2
Daniel Berger 12, 13
Steven Bowditch 12
Keegan Bradley 7
Angel Cabrera 1
Rafael Cabrera Bello 13
Paul Casey 12, 13
Kevin Chappell 13
Darren Clarke 6
Jason Day 7, 8, 11, 12, 13
Jamie Donaldson 13
Jason Dufner 7
Ernie Els 6
Harris English 12
Matthew Fitzpatrick 13
Rickie Fowler 8, 12, 13
Jim Furyk 12, 13
Sergio Garcia 13
Lucas Glover 1
Branden Grace 11, 13
Emiliano Grillo 13
Retief Goosen 15
Bill Haas 12, 13
James Hahn 13
Charley Hoffman 12, 13
J.B. Holmes 12, 13
Billy Horschel 13
Thongchai Jaidee 13
Dustin Johnson 11, 12, 13
Zach Johnson 6, 12, 13
Smylie Kaufman 13
Martin Kaymer 1, 8, 13
K.T. Kim 13
Chris Kirk 13
Kevin Kisner 12, 13
Patton Kizzire 13
Soren Kjeldsen 13
Russell Knox 13
Brooks Koepka 12, 13
Matt Kuchar 12, 13
Anirban Lahiri 13
Danny Lee 12, 13
Marc Leishman 13
David Lingmerth 13
Shane Lowry 11, 13
Jeff Maggert 10
Hideki Matsuyama 12, 13
Graeme McDowell 1
Rory McIlroy 1, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13
Phil Mickelson 6, 13
Ryan Moore 13
Kevin Na 12, 13
Geoff Ogilvy 1
Louis Oosthuizen 11, 12, 13
Scott Piercy 12, 13
a-Jon Rahm 4
Patrick Reed 12, 13
Justin Rose 1, 12, 13
Charl Schwartzel 11, 13
Adam Scott 5, 11, 13
Webb Simpson 1
Cameron Smith 11
Brandt Snedeker 11, 12, 13
Jordan Spieth 1, 5, 11, 12, 13
Henrik Stenson 12, 13
Robert Streb 12
Andy Sullivan 13
Justin Thomas 13
Jaco Van Zyl 13
Jimmy Walker 12, 13
Bubba Watson 5, 12, 13
Lee Westwood 13
Bernd Wiesberger 13
Danny Willett 5, 13
Chris Wood 13
Tiger Woods 1
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Key to Player Exemptions:
1) Winners of the U.S. Open Championship the last 10 years (2006-15)
2) Winner and runner-up of the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
3) Winner of the 2015 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A (must be an amateur)
4) Winner of the 2015 Mark H. McCormack Medal (top-ranked in WAGR & must be an amateur)
5) Winners of the Masters Tournament the last five years (2012-16)
6) Winners of The Open Championship, conducted by the R&A, the last five years (2011-15)
7) Winners of The PGA of America Championship the last five years (2011-15)
8) Winners of The Players Championship the last three years (2014-16)
9) Winner of the 2016 European Tour BMW PGA Championship
10) Winner of the 2015 U.S. Senior Open Championship
11) From the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place
12) Those players who qualified for the season-ending 2015 Tour Championship
13) Top 60 point leaders and ties from the current World Ranking as of May 23, 2016
14) Top 60 point leaders and ties from the current World Ranking as of June 13, 2016
15) Special exemptions selected by the USGA
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.
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Brian DePasquale, United States Golf Association, http://www.usga.org, +1 (908) 326-1884, [email protected]
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