The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced sectional qualifying sites for the 2016 U.S. Open Championship, which will be held at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, on June 16-19. Oakmont is hosting its 16th USGA championship, including a record ninth U.S. Open.
Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held on Monday, June 6, at 10 sites in the U.S. For the 12th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, scheduled for May 23 and May 30, respectively.
“The ability to conduct U.S. Open sectional qualifying in many regions of the United States and at international sites promotes the game of golf,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The U.S. Open has wide appeal, as evidenced by the number of entries we receive each year. We are grateful for the support and commitment provided by the state and regional associations and international partners during a qualifying process that dates to the 1920s.”
The Columbus, Ohio; Summit, N.J.; Memphis, Tenn.; and San Francisco, Calif., sectional sites will use two courses. In Columbus, Wedgewood Golf and Country Club and Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club will combine to host sectional qualifying for the first time. Eight players from the Columbus sectional made the 36-hole cut in last year’s U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash. Cameron Smith, who tied for fourth behind champion Jordan Spieth and runners-up Louis Oosthuizen and Dustin Johnson, led the group of qualifiers.
Canoe Brook Country Club’s North and South Courses will serve as a sectional site for the 14th time since 1980. Germantown Country Club and Ridgeway Country Club are the courses for the Memphis sectional for the second consecutive year and fourth time since 2009. Andres Romero advanced through this site last year and went on to tie for 14th at Chambers Bay. Lake Merced Golf Club and The Olympic Club’s Ocean Course are paired together in Northern California for the second time.
Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., will host U.S. Open sectional qualifying for the 29th time in the last 30 years. The club features two 18-hole layouts, but only the North Course will be used for the third consecutive year.
Springfield Country Club in Ohio will host sectional qualifying for the seventh consecutive year and eighth time in nine years. Tony Finau, who tied for 14th at last year’s U.S. Open, qualified through this site. Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), in Roswell, Ga., will be a sectional site for the eighth time since 2000.
Timuquana Country Club, in Jacksonville, Fla., will host U.S. Open sectional qualifying for the first time. The club hosted the 2002 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, as well as several U.S. Amateur sectional qualifiers. Lakeside Country Club, in Houston, Texas, is a site for the third time in the last 11 years. Royal Oaks Country Club, in Vancouver, Wash., will host a sectional qualifier for the first time since 1996.
Walton Heath Golf Club in England and Higashi Hirono Golf Club in Japan are the international sectional qualifying sites. Four players made the 36-hole cut in the 2015 U.S. Open after advancing from Walton Heath, which is hosting for the 12th consecutive year.
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. Jerry Pate (1976), Steve Jones (1996), Michael Campbell (2005) and Lucas Glover (2009) have won as sectional qualifiers.
To be eligible for qualifying, 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 U.S., takes place between May 2-19.
In 2015, the USGA accepted 9,882 entries for the championship at Chambers Bay. 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.
Online player registration for the 2016 U.S. Open began on March 9 (https://champs.usga.org/index.html) and continues through Wednesday, April 27 at 5 p.m. EDT.
2016 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Sites (12)
International (2)
May 23
Asia – Higashi Hirono Golf Club, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
May 30
Europe - Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, England
June 6 – United States (10)
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
Royal Oaks Country Club, Vancouver, Wash.
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.
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