U.S. Senior Open qualifying is set to commence on the Rope Rider course at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash. on Tuesday, June 25, as 59 players will look to earn one of the two available spots at this qualifier to advance to the 2013 U.S. Senior Open Championship. The two players who advance from this qualifier will go on to compete in the 34th U.S. Senior Open Championship, which is being held July 11-14 at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club. 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 at Rope Rider are Larry Daniels and Tom Phillips, both amateurs out of Seattle, who both qualified for last year’s U.S. Senior Open; Gary Lindeblad, the head PGA professional at Indian Canyon GC in Spokane, who played in the 2010 U.S. Senior Open; and Tom Brandes, an amateur from Bellevue, who is coming off his victory at the Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur Championship two weeks ago, and who missed qualifying for last year’s U.S. Senior Open by one stroke.
Qualifying will be played over 18 holes at 34 sites across the United States from June 17-27.
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. A total of 2,746 golfers have entered to play in this year’s championship, of which 78 are fully exempt into the championship proper. The USGA received entries for the 2013 U.S. Senior Open from golfers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and representing 27 countries.
The U.S. Senior Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.