The United States Golf Association (USGA) has accepted 9,877 entries for the 2016 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club.
It is the third highest number of entries in the history of the tournament. The most came at the 2014 US Open where 10,127 entries were accepted at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No.2. There were 9,882 entries accepted for last year’s tournament at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Washington.
“The number of entries received underlines the global appeal of the U.S. Open Championship and the historical greatness of Oakmont Country Club,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “We look forward to conducting local and sectional qualifying and to hosting the U.S. Open at Oakmont for a record ninth time on June 16-19.”
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.
Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, will be take place on Monday, May 23, in Japan, on Monday, May 30, in England and on Monday, June 6, at 10 sites in the United States. This will be the 12th year with two international qualifiers, which were established in 2005.
Jordan Spieth is among the 12 past winners of the year’s second Major Championship who are fully exempt from having to qualify for the championship. Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Jim Furyk (2003), Lucas Glover (2009), Martin Kaymer (2014), Graeme McDowell (2010), Rory McIlroy (2011), Geoff Ogilvy (2006), Justin Rose (2013), Webb Simpson (2012) and Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008) are the remaining 11 players.
Cabrera won the most recent U.S. Open played at Oakmont, when he held off Furyk and Woods by one stroke in 2007. Among the previous Open champions at Oakmont are Ben Hogan (1953), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Johnny Miller (1973), Larry Nelson (1983) and Els (1994). Nicklaus defeated hometown hero Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff for the first of his record 18 Majors. Miller shot a final-round 63 to defeat John Schlee by one stroke. Miller was the first player to shoot 63 in a Major, still the lowest final-round score to win one of golf’s four most coveted prizes.
The number of fully exempt players will increase with the inclusion of the top 60 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking, as of May 23 and June 13. The winners of The Players Championship (May 12-15) and European Tour BMW PGA Championship (May 26-29) will also earn exemptions.
This year marks the eighth time – and the fifth in a row – that the USGA has accepted more than 9,000 entries for the U.S. Open. The first time was in 2005, when 9,048 entries were accepted for the championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
