Race to the U.S. Open: Columbus

Host course

Brookside Golf Course and the Lakes Golf and Country Club have long played host to many top PGA Tour players not yet exempt into the U.S. Open. This qualifier is considered the unofficial PGA Tour site given its proximity to Muirfield Village Golf Club and the Memorial tournament. With both 2023 Ryder Cup captains and two U.S. Open champions, this is also by far the strongest field of all the qualifying sites.

‍Players in the field: 120

‍Spots available: 16

‍Most decorated players in the field 

‍• Luke Donald: The 2023 European Ryder Cup captain is a five-time PGA Tour winner and a former world number one. Donald’s best finish in the Open was a T-8 in 2013.  

‍• Zach Johnson: The U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2023 and 2007 Masters champion, Johnson has 12 PGA Tour wins and more than $48 million in career earnings. 

‍• Stewart Cink: Now 50, the 2009 Open Championship winner has amassed more than $43 million in career earnings, bolstered by eight PGA Tour wins. Cink has played in 86 majors and made 56 cuts, but it has been a long time since he has played well in the U.S. Open.

‍• Kevin Kisner: Kisner is ranked 68th in the OWGR, has four PGA Tour wins to his credit, and over $29M in career earnings. The two-time Presidents Cup member won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship in 2019, and finished 4th in last year’s Players Championship. His best finish in a major came at the 2018 Open Championship, where he finished 2nd. 

‍• Geoff Ogilvy: You remember the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, right? Phil Mickelson’s “I’m an idiot” comment? Phil and Colin Montgomerie double-bogeyed the 72nd hole and Ogilvy became a major champion. Ogilvy has three WGC wins and four PGA Tour wins on his resume, with the last coming at the 2014 Barracuda Championship. It has been a while since Ogilvy was a contender, but it’s always striking to see a major champion trying to qualify for the crown he once held. 

‍Other PGA Tour winners: 

Aaron Baddeley

Cameron Champ

Kevin Chappell

Dylan Frittelli

Lucas Glover

Lanto Griffin

Garrick Higgo 

Jason Kokrak

David Lingmerth

Peter Malnati 

William McGirt

Trey Mullinax

Chez Reavie

Kyle Stanley 

Kevin Streelman

Brendon Todd 

Kevin Tway 

Erik Van Rooyen 

Jhonattan Vegas

Matt Wallace, 

Nick Watney 

‍Storylines

‍• Lucas Glover: Another former U.S. Open champion trying to claw his way back into the event, Glover, the winner in 2009, has four PGA Tour wins and an astounding 504 PGA Tour starts to his credit. 

‍• Justin Lower: A favorite of Monday Q Info, Lower has been through unimaginable personal and professional hardship. His resilience earned him a PGA Tour card, and his best finish on Tour came early in the season at the Fortinet Championship, where he finished T-4.

‍• Christiaan Bezuidenhout: The three-time winner on the DP World Tour is ranked 78th in the world. A member of the 2022 Presidents Cup International team, the South African has been a steady presence on the PGA Tour this season, making 13 of 17 cuts. 

‍• Scott Vincent: This Zimbabwe native will be looking to add another LIV golfer to the Open field. He is an Asian Tour winner and a member of LIV Golf’s Ironheads team. 

‍• Bryce Emory: He has worked outside services at Black Sheep Golf Club in the Chicago area for years to keep his dream of playing on the PGA Tour alive. Last year he had Korn Ferry Tour status but struggled. This year he will play on PGA Tour Canada. One of the better guys in golf. 

‍Hot players

‍• Adam Schenk: He lost in a playoff last week to Emiliano Grillo at the Charles Schwab Challenge, marking his second runner-up finish of the season. Schenk is now 29th in the FedEx Cup standings and ranked 60th in the world. Schenk could still receive an exemption if he maintains his top-60 ranking through June 12. His steady climb this season and growing confidence makes him a formidable presence. 

‍• Eric Cole: Talk about a spectacular rookie season. Cole, 34, has been to Q school 11 times  and has amassed 57 wins on the Minor League Golf Tour in South Florida. This season he has a runner-up finish at the Honda Classic and a T-5 at the Mexico Open. And he was T-15 at the PGA Championship. 

‍Notables

Almost the entire field could be placed in this category, but David Lipski, Dylan Frittelli and Stephen Jaeger are among the players to keep an eye on.

Link to the full field, tee times, and scoring here: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/4221935

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