USGA Announces 2017 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Sites; Tacoma C&GC to host qualifier

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced sectional qualifying sites for the 117th U.S. Open Championship, which will be held at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., on June 15-18. Erin Hills is hosting its first U.S. Open and third USGA championship.

Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held on Monday, June 5, at 10 sites in the U.S. For the 13th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, scheduled for May 22 and May 29, respectively.

Tacoma Country & Golf Club, Hole #13

“We appreciate the support and commitment provided by the state and regional associations and international community during a two-tiered qualifying process that dates to 1959,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The U.S. Open has broad appeal, as evidenced by the more than 9,800 entries we have received in each of the last four years and the fact that any amateur golfer can enter, provided they meet the Handicap Index® requirement. The opportunity to take sectional qualifying to all parts of the United States and international sites helps to ensure that we have the strongest field possible.”

The Columbus, Ohio; Memphis, Tenn.; Summit, N.J.; and Newport Beach, Calif., sectional sites will use two courses. In Columbus, Brookside Golf and Country Club and Lakes Golf and Country Club will combine to host sectional qualifying for the 13th time since 1995. Eight players from the Columbus sectional made the 36-hole cut in last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. Daniel Summerhays, who tied for eighth behind champion Dustin Johnson, was among the group of qualifiers.

Germantown Country Club and Ridgeway Country Club are the Memphis sectional courses for the third consecutive year and fifth time since 2009. Andrew Landry advanced through this site last year. He was the U.S. Open first-round leader with a 4-under 66 – the lowest opening-round score in any of the nine U.S. Opens at Oakmont – and went on to tie for 15th. Canoe Brook Country Club’s North and South Courses will serve as a sectional site for the 15th time since 1980. Big Canyon Country Club and Newport Beach Country Club are paired together in Southern California for the third time.

Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., will host U.S. Open sectional qualifying for the 30th time in the last 31 years. The club features two 18-hole layouts, but only the North Course will be used for the fourth consecutive year. Chase Parker, one of five players last year who advanced through both local and sectional play and made the 36-hole cut, qualified at Woodmont.

Jupiter Hills Club’s Hill Course, in Tequesta, Fla., will host U.S. Open sectional qualifying for the first time since 2008. The club hosted the 1987 U.S. Amateur Championship and will serve as the host site for the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Lakewood Country Club, in Dallas, Texas, is a site for the second time. Tacoma Country & Golf Club, in Lakewood, Wash., will host a sectional qualifier for the first time since 1989. The club has hosted four USGA championships.

 

Springfield Country Club in Ohio will host sectional qualifying for the eighth consecutive year and ninth time in 10 years. Hawks Ridge, in Ball Ground, Ga., will be a sectional site for the sixth time since 2007.

Walton Heath Golf Club in England and Ono Golf Club in Japan are the international sectional qualifying sites. Five players made the 36-hole cut in the 2016 U.S. Open after advancing from Walton Heath, which is hosting for the 13th 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. Gene Littler (1961), Julius Boros (1963), 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 113 sites in the U.S. and one in Canada, takes place between May 2-18.

In 2016, the USGA accepted 9,877 entries for the championship at Oakmont. 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 2017 U.S. Open is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 8 (https://champs.usga.org/index.html) and continues through Wednesday, April 26 at 5 p.m. EDT.


2017 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Sites (12)

International (2)

May 22

  • Asia – Ono Golf Club, Ono City, Japan

May 29

  • Europe – Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, England

June 5 – United States (10)

  • Big Canyon Country Club & Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
  • Jupiter Hills Club (Hills Course), Tequesta, Fla.
  • Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Ga.
  • Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.
  • Canoe Brook Country Club (North and South Courses), Summit, N.J.
  • Brookside Golf & Country Club & Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
  • Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio
  • Germantown Country Club & Ridgeway Country Club, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Lakewood Country Club, Dallas, Texas
  • Tacoma Country & Golf Club, Lakewood, 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 annual 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.