USGA Announces Local Qualifying Sites for 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay
February 25, 2015
The paths to Chambers Bay for the 2015 U.S. Open are now there.
On Tuesday, the USGA announced local qualifying sites for this year’s U.S. Open—the first in the Pacific Northwest– to be contested June 18-21 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
Local qualifying (18 holes) will be conducted at 111 sites in 43 states from May 4-May 21. On the Northern California front, there’ll be five local qualifers:
- May 11 at Ruby Hill
- May 13 at Stanford GC
- May 18 at Sunnyside CC
- May 20 at Silverado
- May 21 at Granite Bay GC
“U.S. Open local qualifying represents the start of an exciting two-tiered process in which thousands of golfers from around the world, both professional and amateur, pursue a place in this year’s field at Chambers Bay and the opportunity to compete for our national championship,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “U.S. Open qualifying is conducted with the support and expertise provided by state and regional golf associations, and we appreciate their effort and commitment.”
Those players who advance out of local qualifying will compete in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. sites on June 8. The lone Sectional qualifier to be held in California will be at Newport Beach and Big Canyon on June 8.
In 2014, the USGA accepted a record 10,127 entries for the championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. That total eclipsed the 9,860 for the 2013 championship at Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa.
Several local exemptions for the U.S. Open were amended prior to 2014. The top 500 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking (as of March 2) will be exempt. Any player in the OWGR’s top 500 (as of April 27) who has filed an entry prior to the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 29, will also earn a local exemption. In the past, only the top 150 point leaders were exempted.
Additionally, any player who has had multiple finishes in the top 400 of the year-ending OWGR in the past five calendar years (2010-2014) will be exempt from local qualifying.
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.
There are 16 local qualifying sites in the state of Florida. Fourteen local qualifiers are scheduled in California.
Online player registration for the 2015 U.S. Open will begin in the first week of March at champs.usga.org.
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 Stewart
