USGA Announces 25 Players Exempt for 2014 U.S. Open Championship
Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB) May 27, 2014 -- The United States Golf Association today announced that 25 additional golfers, including 2000 U.S. Open runner-up Miguel Angel Jimenez, have earned full exemptions into the 2014 U.S. Open Championship, to be played June 12-15 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 75.
All 25 exemptions were awarded to players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 26. Jimenez, who tied for second with Ernie Els, 15 strokes behind Tiger Woods in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, is ranked No. 27. He has played in 12 previous U.S. Opens and has two top 10s, including a tie for sixth in the 2008 U.S. Open, also won by Woods, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.
The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Thomas Bjorn, Jonas Blixt, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Harris English, Matthew Every, Stephen Gallacher, Russell Henley, Thongchai Jaidee, Matt Jones, Chris Kirk, Pablo Larrazabal, Joost Luiten, Francesco Molinari, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, John Senden, Kevin Stadler, Richard Sterne, Brendon Todd, Jimmy Walker and Lee Westwood.
Todd moved up six positions in the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 57 by tying for fifth in the PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which ended May 25. Larrazabal climbed seven spots to No. 59 in the OWGR after tying for seventh in the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship last weekend. The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the inclusion of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 9.
The first two sectional qualifiers for the 2014 U.S. Open were held May 26, in Japan, where six spots in the 156-player field were determined, and in Surrey, England, where 14 players qualified. Those 20 players are in addition to the 75 fully exempt players listed below.
Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 2. The sites are: Lake Merced Golf Club & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), Daly City, Calif.; Quail Valley Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.; Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), Roswell, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North & South Courses), Rockville, Md.; Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio; Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, Ore.; Colonial Country Club (North & South Courses), Memphis, Tenn., and Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas.
Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 is hosting the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open in back-to-back weeks in June, the first time the championships will be held in consecutive weeks on the same course. The U.S. Open was previously held at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999 (won by Payne Stewart) and 2005 (won by Michael Campbell).
A list of the 75 golfers fully exempt into the 2014 U.S. Open as of May 26 (not including the 20 international sectional qualifiers) is below. It can also be found at this link: http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/exemptions.html.
2014 U.S. Open Exemption List (as of May 26):
Thomas Bjorn - 13
Jonas Blixt - 13
Keegan Bradley - 7, 12, 13
Angel Cabrera - 1
Roberto Castro - 12
Stewart Cink - 6
Darren Clarke - 6
Nicolas Colsaerts - 11
Jason Day - 11, 12, 13
Brendon de Jonge - 12
Graham DeLaet - 12, 13
Luke Donald - 11, 12, 13
Jamie Donaldson - 13
Victor Dubuisson - 13
Jason Dufner - 7, 11, 12, 13
Ernie Els - 6, 11, 13
Harris English - 13
Matthew Every - 13
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño - 11, 13
a-Matthew Fitzpatrick - 2, 4
Rickie Fowler - 11, 13
Jim Furyk - 12, 13
Stephen Gallacher - 13
Sergio Garcia - 12, 13
Lucas Glover - 1
Retief Goosen - 1
a-Oliver Goss - 2
Bill Haas - 12, 13
Russell Henley - 13
Billy Horschel - 11, 12, 13
Thongchai Jaidee - 13
Miguel Angel Jimenez - 13
Dustin Johnson - 12, 13
Zach Johnson - 12, 13
Matt Jones - 13
Martin Kaymer - 7, 8, 13
Chris Kirk - 13
Matt Kuchar - 8, 12, 13
Pablo Larrazabal - 13
Joost Luiten - 13
Hunter Mahan - 11, 12, 13
Hideki Matsuyama - 11, 13
Graeme McDowell - 1, 13
Rory McIlroy - 1, 7, 9, 13
Phil Mickelson - 5, 6, 11, 12, 13
Francesco Molinari - 13
Ryan Moore - 13
Geoff Ogilvy - 1
Louis Oosthuizen - 6, 13
Ryan Palmer - 13
Kenny Perry - 10
D.A. Points - 12
Ian Poulter - 13
Patrick Reed - 13
Justin Rose - 1, 11, 12, 13
Charl Schwartzel - 5, 12, 13
Adam Scott - 5, 12, 13
John Senden - 13
Webb Simpson - 1, 12, 13
Brandt Snedeker - 12, 13
Jordan Spieth - 12, 13
Kevin Stadler - 13
Henrik Stenson - 12, 13
Richard Sterne - 13
Kevin Streelman - 12, 13
Steve Stricker - 11, 12, 13
Brendon Todd - 13
Jimmy Walker - 13
Nick Watney - 12, 13
Bubba Watson - 5, 13
Boo Weekley - 12
Lee Westwood - 13
Gary Woodland - 12, 13
Tiger Woods - 1, 8, 12, 13
Y.E. Yang - 7
Bold – U.S. Open champion
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Key to Player Exemptions
1) Winners of the U.S. Open Championship the last 10 years (2004-13)
2) Winner and runner-up of the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
3) Winner of the 2013 British Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
4) Winner of the 2013 Mark H. McCormack Medal (top-ranked in WAGR & must be an amateur)
5) Winners of the Masters Tournament the last five years (2010-14)
6) Winners of the British Open Championship the last five years (2009-13)
7) Winners of the PGA of America Championship the last five years (2009-13)
8) Winners of the Players Championship the last three years (2012-14)
9) Winner of the 2014 European Tour BMW PGA Championship
10) Winner of the 2013 U.S. Senior Open Championship
11) From the 2013 U.S. Open Championship, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place
12) Those players who qualified for the season-ending 2013 Tour Championship
13) Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of May 26, 2014
14) Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of June 9, 2014
15) Special exemptions selected by the USGA
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national 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.
The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit http://www.usga.org.
Brian DePasquale, United States Golf Association, http://www.usga.org, +1 (908) 326-1884, [email protected]
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