U.S. Senior Open qualifying is set to commence at Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor, Wash. on Monday, June 16, as 70 players will look to earn one of the two available spots at this qualifier to advance to the 2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship, which will be held July 10-13 at Oak Tree National Golf Club in Edmond, Okla.

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. Senior Open Championship.

Among the names to watch for in the strong field at Canterwood are Tom Hale of Lakewood, Wash. and Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash., both being amateurs, and both having qualified for last year’s U.S. Senior Open.

Also in the field are Larry Daniels and Tom Phillips, both amateurs out of Seattle, who both qualified for the 2012 U.S. Senior Open; Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., a member of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA Hall of Fame and a teaching pro at Semiahmoo Resort, who has won 19 PGA Section championships; Tom Sovay, a PGA professional from Redmond, Wash. who three weeks ago won the Senior Washington Open; and Mark Rypien of Spokane, Wash., the former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, who has been trying to make it on the Champions Tour.

This sectional qualifier is being contested over 18 holes.

The U.S. Senior Open is open to professional golfers and amateurs with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4 who are 50 years of age at the start of championship play. Sectional qualifying will be played at 34 sites across the United States between June 12-24.

A total of 2,715 golfers have entered to play in this year’s championship. The USGA received entries for the 35th U.S. Senior Open from golfers in 49 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 30 foreign countries.

The U.S. Senior Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.