U.S. Open local qualifying is set to commence at the Tumble Creek course at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash. on Wednesday, May 14, as 112 players will look to earn one of the six available spots to advance to the next stage of qualifying on the road to the championship. The six players who advance from this qualifier will then go on to compete in a sectional qualifier on June 2. The 2014 U.S. Open Championship is being held June 12-15 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club's No. 2 course in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducts this qualifier for the U.S. Open Championship.
Among the names to watch for at Tumble Creek are Tim Feenstra of Issaquah, Wash., a two-time Washington Open champion; Corey Prugh of Spokane, Wash., a former Northwest Open and Oregon Open champion, and three-time Rosauers Open champion; Allen Geiberger Jr. of Palm Desert, Calif., the son of former PGA Tour player Al Geiberger; Brian Thornton of Sumner, Wash., the 2010 Northwest Open champion; and Brian Mogg of Sammamish, Wash., the well-known golf instructor for many PGA Tour players, being one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 instructors.
Tumble Creek was designed by Tom Doak, and for this qualifier it will be played at 7043 yards, with a par of 70.
The USGA accepted a record number of entries for the 2014 U.S. Open Championship. The total of 10,127 entrants eclipses the 9,860 for last year's championship at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. The USGA accepted entries for the 114th U.S. Open from golfers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 75 foreign countries. This year marks the sixth time that the USGA accepted more than 9,000 entries for the U.S. Open.
The U.S. Open will be held for the third time at Pinehurst No. 2. 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. Successful qualifiers will advance to sectional qualifying, which is the final stage before the U.S. Open.
The U.S. Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
