Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB) February 24, 2016 -- The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 2016 U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested for a record ninth time at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club on June 16-19. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 111 sites in 43 states, will take place between May 2-19.
“The skills and support provided by state and regional golf associations in conducting U.S. Open local qualifying is immeasurable, and we appreciate their continued commitment,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “Thousands of golfers from around the world, both professional and amateur, will take part in the two-tiered process of U.S. Open qualifying as they pursue an opportunity to compete for our national championship.”
Those players who advance out of local qualifying will compete in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. sites on Monday, June 6. For the 12th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, both scheduled in late May.
In 2015, the USGA accepted 9,882 entries for the championship at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash. The record of 10,127 was established for the 2014 championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Forty-three courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have a long history as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., has conducted a U.S. Open qualifier since the late 1940s. Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a local site in 39 of the last 40 years. Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club and Genoa Lakes Golf Club, in Genoa, Nev., have each hosted local qualifying since 1998. For the 13th consecutive year, Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., will host a local qualifier.
Three other local qualifying sites have hosted historic USGA championships. Jack Nicklaus (1959 U.S. Amateur) and Annika Sorenstam (1995 U.S. Women’s Open) won USGA titles at The Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course), in Colorado Springs, Colo. Colin Montgomerie claimed his first USGA championship (2014 U.S. Senior Open) at Oak Tree National, in Edmond, Okla. Susie Maxwell Berning won the first of her three U.S. Women’s Opens in 1968 at Moselem Springs Country Club, in Fleetwood, Pa.
Several local exemptions for the U.S. Open were amended prior to 2014. The top 500 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking™ (as of March 7) will be exempt from local qualifying. Any player in the OWGR’s top 500 (as of April 25) who has filed an entry prior to the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 27, will also earn a local exemption. In the past, only the top 150 point leaders were exempt. Additionally, any player who has had multiple finishes in the top 400 of the year-ending OWGR in the past five calendar years (2011-2015) will be exempt from local qualifying.
Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play. Last year, 22 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Chambers Bay. Of those 22, six players made the 36-hole cut, including Andy Pope, who started his journey at Orange Tree Golf Club, in Orlando, Fla., which will host a local qualifier for the fifth consecutive year.
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.
There are 16 local qualifying sites in the state of Florida. Fourteen local qualifiers are scheduled in California, while Pennsylvania will host seven local qualifiers.
Online player registration for the 2016 U.S. Open will begin in the second week of March (https://champs.usga.org/index.html).
2016 U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying Sites (111)
Monday, May 2 (1)
Twin Warriors G.C., Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
Tuesday, May 3 (1)
Limestone Springs G.C., Oneonta, Ala.
Wednesday, May 4 (1)
C.C. of Winter Haven, Winter Haven, Fla.
Friday, May 6 (1)
The Club at Admirals Cove (West Course), Jupiter, Fla.
Saturday, May 7 (1)
Ka’anapali C.C. (Royal Course), Lahaina, Hawaii
Monday, May 9 (28)
San Joaquin C.C., Fresno, Calif.
Crystalaire C.C., Llano, Calif.
Indian Ridge C.C. (Grove Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Pasatiempo G.C., Santa Cruz, Calif.
The Heritage at Westmoor, Westminster, Colo.
Amelia National G. & C.C., Amelia Island, Fla.
Ritz-Carlton G.C., Orlando, Fla.
Wanderers G.C., Wellington, Fla.
The Club at Hokuli’a, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Village Links of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Illini C.C., Springfield, Ill.
Wolf Run G.C., Indianapolis, Ind.
Morris Park C.C., South Bend, Ind.
Bardstown C.C. (Maywood Course), Bardstown, Ky.
Worthington Manor G.C., Urbana, Md.
Minnesota Valley C.C., Bloomington, Minn.
Minneapolis G.C., St. Louis Park, Minn.
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev.
Mohawk Golf Club, Schenectady, N.Y.
Duke University G.C., Durham, N.C.
Rattlesnake Ridge G.C., Sunbury, Ohio
Lebanon C.C., Lebanon, Pa.
North Kingstown G.C., North Kingstown, R.I.
Carolina C.C., Spartanburg, S.C.
C.C. of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Stonebridge G.C., Memphis, Tenn.
Hurricane Creek C.C., Dallas, Texas
Alpine C.C., Highland, Utah
Tuesday, May 10 (10)
Hot Springs C.C. (Arlington Course), Hot Springs, Ark.
Trilogy G.C. at Vistancia, Peoria, Ariz.
Andalusia C.C., La Quinta, Calif.
Southern Hills Plantation G.C., Brooksville, Fla.
Planterra Ridge G.C., Peachtree City, Ga.
Forest Hills C.C., St. Louis, Mo.
Missoula C.C., Missoula, Mont.
Old Westbury G. & C.C., Old Westbury, N.Y.
Weymouth C.C., Medina, Ohio
Pronghorn Resort (Nicklaus Course), Bend, Ore.
Wednesday, May 11 (4)
Wichita C.C., Wichita, Kan.
Bethpage State Park G.C. (Red Course), Farmingdale, N.Y.
The Hills C.C., Austin, Texas
Tumble Creek Club, Cle Elum, Wash.
Thursday, May 12 (10)
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes G.C., Maricopa, Ariz.
Bermuda Dunes C.C., Bermuda Dunes, Calif.
La Purisima G.C., Lompoc, Calif.
Feather Sound C.C., Clearwater, Fla.
Timacuan G. & C.C., Lake Mary, Fla.
The Legacy G. & T.C., Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Hollywood G.C., Deal, N.J.
Butler C.C., Butler, Pa.
Moselem Springs G.C., Fleetwood, Pa.
Amarillo C.C., Amarillo, Texas
Sunday, May 15 (2)
The Broadmoor G.C. (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo.
TimberStone G.C., Caldwell, Idaho
Monday, May 16 (26)
C.C. at DC Ranch, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Barona Creek G.C., Lakeside, Calif.
Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.
Ruby Hill C.C., Pleasanton, Calif.
New Haven C.C., Hamden, Conn.
Sawgrass C.C. (East/West Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Weston Hills C.C. (Tour Course), Weston, Fla.
Jennings Mill C.C., Bogart, Ga.
Exmoor C.C., Highland Park, Ill.
Cedar Rapids C.C., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sycamore Ridge G.C., Spring Hill, Kan.
Longmeadow C.C., Longmeadow, Mass.
Essex C.C., Manchester, Mass.
Wuskowhan Players Club, West Olive, Mich.
Genoa Lakes G.C. (Lakes Course), Genoa, Nev.
Red Hawk G.C., Las Cruces, N.M.
Willow Ridge C.C., Harrison, N.Y.
Mendon G.C., Mendon, N.Y.
Pinewild C.C. (Magnolia Course), Pinehurst, N.C.
Maketewah C.C., Cincinnati, Ohio
Catawba Island Club, Port Clinton, Ohio
Oak Tree National, Edmond, Okla.
Silver Creek C.C., Hellertown, Pa.
The Club at Nevillewood, Nevillewood, Pa.
Westwood G.C., Houston, Texas
Pete Dye G.C., Bridgeport, W.Va.
Tuesday, May 17 (13)
Yocha Dehe G.C., Brooks, Calif.
Ironwood C.C. (South Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Collindale G.C., Fort Collins, Colo.
Bay Point G. & T.C., Panama City Beach, Fla.
Sara Bay C.C., Sarasota, Fla.
The Bluffs Golf Resort, St. Francisville, La.
Crofton C.C., Crofton, Md.
The Orchards G.C., Washington, Mich.
Panther Valley G. & C.C., Allamuchy Township, N.J.
Secession G.C., Beaufort, S.C.
Timarron C.C., Southlake, Texas
Bishops Bay C.C., Middleton, Wis.
Riverton C.C., Riverton, Wyo.
Wednesday, May 18 (6)
Palmer G.C., Palmer, Alaska
Industry Hills G.C. (Eisenhower Course), City of Industry, Calif.
Orange Tree G.C., Orlando, Fla.
Huntsville G.C., Dallas, Pa.
Scotch Valley C.C., Hollidaysburg, Pa.
Holston Hills C.C., Knoxville, Tenn.
Thursday, May 19 (7)
Sewailo G.C., Tucson, Ariz.
Granite Bay G.C., Granite Bay, Calif.
Kensington G. & C.C., Naples, Fla.
Indian River Club, Vero Beach, Fla.
ArborLinks, Nebraska City, Neb.
River Landing (River Course), Wallace, N.C.
Cedar Creek G.C., San Antonio, Texas
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 usga.org.
Brian DePasquale, United States Golf Association, http://www.usga.org, +1 (908) 326-1884, [email protected]
SOURCE United States Golf Association
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