Nearly 2,800 Entries Accepted for 2016 U.S. Senior Open Championship
Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB) June 09, 2016 -- The United States Golf Association today announced that it has accepted 2,791 entries for the 2016 U.S. Senior Open Championship, scheduled for Aug. 11-14 at Scioto Country Club, in Columbus, Ohio. Twelve past champions are among the 82 players who are currently fully exempt into the championship.
“The U.S. Senior Open is senior golf’s most coveted championship and the highest number of entries since 2009 is evidence of the interest,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The USGA is excited to bring the U.S. Senior Open to Scioto Country Club and central Ohio for the first time since 1986 and we look forward to awarding the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy to the champion in August.”
The U.S. Senior Open is open to professional golfers and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4 who are 50 years of age at the start of championship play.
Sectional qualifying will be played over 18 holes at 34 sites across the United States between June 14 and July 11. There are qualifying sites in 25 states, including five in California and three in Florida. In addition, places in the 156-player field are reserved for eligible winners of official PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions events in the weeks remaining before the 2016 U.S. Senior Open.
The USGA accepted entries for the 37th U.S. Senior Open from golfers in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 28 foreign countries. The record for entries was established in 2002, when 3,101 golfers applied to play.
This will be the fifth U.S. Senior Open in Ohio and the second at Scioto. In 1986, Dale Douglass led after every round in defeating Gary Player by one stroke to become the youngest Senior Open champion (50 years, 3 months, 24 days).
Scioto, which is celebrating its centennial, hosted the 1926 U.S. Open, won by Bob Jones, and is the club where 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus learned the game under the tutelage of longtime club professional Jack Grout. It also hosted the 1968 U.S. Amateur, won by Bruce Fleisher.
Jeff Maggert, the 2015 champion, and 11 other Senior Open champions are fully exempt from having to qualify for the championship. They are: Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Roger Chapman (2012), Dave Eichelberger (1999), Bruce Fleisher (2001), Fred Funk (2009), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Bernhard Langer (2010), Colin Montgomerie (2014), Kenny Perry (2013) and Eduardo Romero (2008).
There are six U.S. Open champions among the 82 exempt players. They are: three-time champion Hale Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990), two-time champion Lee Janzen (1993, 1998), Tom Kite (1992), Larry Nelson (1983), Scott Simpson (1987) and Tom Watson (1982).
For the sixth consecutive year, only online entries were accepted, beginning on March 9. David Speicher, a 55-year-old amateur from Mascoutah, Ill., submitted his entry 49 seconds before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on June 8. Robert Palmer, a 50-year-old amateur from The Woodlands, Texas, was the first entrant.
More information about the U.S. Senior Open before, during and after the 2016 championship at Scioto Country Club can be found at http://www.usga.org.
The 82 golfers who are fully exempt into the 2016 U.S. Senior Open (as of June 8):
Michael Allen
Stephen Ames
Billy Andrade
Tommy Armour III
Woody Austin
Warren Bladon
Michael Bradley
a-Tom Brandes
Olin Browne
Bart Bryant
Brad Bryant
Mark Calcavecchia
Jim Carter
Roger Chapman
Russ Cochran
John Cook
Fred Couples
John Daly
Marco Dawson
Stephen Dodd
Scott Dunlap
Joe Durant
Dave Eichelberger
Bob Estes
Bruce Fleisher
Peter Fowler
David Frost
Fred Funk
Philip Golding
Paul Goydos
Jay Haas
Todd Hamilton
Scott Hoch
John Huston
Kohki Idoki
Hale Irwin
Lee Janzen
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Tom Kite
Barry Lane
Bernhard Langer
Tom Lehman
Steve Lowery
a-Chip Lutz
Jeff Maggert
Gordon Manson
Billy Mayfair
Scott McCarron
a-Michael McCoy
Rocco Mediate
Eric Meeks
Larry Mize
Colin Montgomerie
Gil Morgan
Kiyoshi Murota
Larry Nelson
Mark O’Meara
Jesper Parnevik
Tom Pernice Jr.
Kenny Perry
Loren Roberts
Eduardo Romero
Takeshi Sakiyama
Gene Sauers
Wes Short Jr.
Scott Simpson
Joey Sindelar
Vijay Singh
Jeff Sluman
Jerry Smith
Craig Stadler
Kevin Sutherland
Esteban Toledo
Kirk Triplett
Bob Tway
Scott Verplank
Grant Waite
Duffy Waldorf
Tom Watson
Paul Wesselingh
Mark Wiebe
Ian Woosnam
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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