The third Major of men’s schedule gets underway this month with Pinehurst No.2 welcoming golf’s biggest names for the fourth time in U.S. Open history.
The USGA has a habit of ensuring U.S. Open courses are extremely punishing – often pushing fans and players to their limit – and if history is anything to go by, Pinehurst No.2 will offer another stern test for the game’s elite.
When Payne Stewart won the first U.S. Open to be staged at Pinehurst in 1999 the American was the only player to finish under par for the week. Six years later, when Michael Campbell won his first and only Major Championship, none of the field finished under par.
But Martin Kaymer bucked the trend in 2014, finishing the tournament on nine under par to become the first player from continental Europe to win the prestigious championship. Will the course bite back this month?
Is Garcia’s U.S. Open Streak Over?
For the first time since 1999, Sergio Garcia might not tee it up at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard looked to have his place at Pinehurst all but secured standing on the 16th tee, his 34th hole of the mammoth day, in Final Qualifying day at Dallas Athletic Club, but a disastrous double bogey saw him shoot a second round 73.
That left the former Masters champion in a seven-man elimination playoff for the final six spots in the field. Pretty good odds for someone of Garcia’s talents, right? Unfortunately for the 44 year old, he was the only one of the seven to make bogey on the first extra hole, leaving him without a ticket to the U.S. Open for the first time in 25 years. The only silver lining for Garcia is the fact he is a first alternate for the tournament, so may still continue his impressive streak if any of the players were to pull out.
UAE Interest
There could well be a UAE-born player in the field at Pinehurst if Josh Hill comes through Final Qualifying at the beginning of the month. The former Dubai resident, who is in his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee, carded a four under par 68 in Local Qualifying at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Silver Lakes to finish in share of second and secure one of the five places available in Final Qualifying.
Roughly the top 7.5% from Final Qualifying advance to the U.S. Open, with the exact number of players to advance from each site determined by the number of players and the strength of each site’s field. In 2023, 64 out of 878 players qualified for the U.S. Open.
If he were to reach his first Major Championship, it wouldn’t be the first time the youngster has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, having competed at both the Abu Dhabi Championship and Dubai Desert Classic in recent years.
Robert Rock Returns
Robert Rock returned to competitive golf for the first time in almost two years to secure his U.S. Open spot via Walton Heath’s Final Qualifying.
The Englishman, who held off Tiger Woods to win the 2012 Abu Dhabi Championship, carded rounds of 69-66 to secure one of nine spots available at Pinehurst.
“It’s difficult to describe, I really didn’t have any thoughts of qualifying,” said Rock, who stepped away from the DP World Tour to focus on his academy in 2022.
“I thought it was my last chance of playing this event and a good opportunity to see where my game was having been out of it for a couple of years. I thought while I could still enter, I’d see where I’d fit. I played with James Morrison and had such a good day.
“I wasn’t sure I could play two rounds, I’ve been playing mostly nine holes and then the back nine has hurt because my back isn’t the best at the moment. I was struggling on the back nine. Thankfully my mate came to push the trolley. I didn’t think I’d make 36, but it’s amazing what making a few putts does.”
