U.S. Open qualifying underway today at 10 sites across the country. It’s a 36-hole marathon, with a lot of players vying for a few spots—about 90 players going for 5 spots at one site, 75 for 4 at another, 50-something for 3, etc. There are major champions, PGA Tour winners, Michael Block (!), amateurs, kids not yet with a high school diploma. It’s what makes the Open the Open.
Without luck, I scanned the early scores to see where Hayden Buckley was teeing it up. In a subsequent search, I discovered he is exempt into the Open, by virtue of being in the top five in the FedEx Cup race on May 22 among players who weren’t otherwise exempt.
Buckley will be making his third straight Open appearance. (He got through qualifying each of the past two years.) No small feat.
Without luck, I scanned the early scores to see where Hayden Buckley was teeing it up. In a subsequent search, I discovered he is exempt into the Open, by virtue of being in the top five in the FedEx Cup race on May 22 among players who weren’t otherwise exempt.
Buckley will be making his third straight Open appearance. (He got through qualifying each of the past two years.) No small feat.
