Final week to avoid US Open qualifying
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As many as 26 players will be added to the field for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills this week, and there isn’t likely to be many surprises unless someone not already eligible wins or finishes second in the AT&T Byron Nelson.
The top 60 in the world ranking published after this week will be exempt from qualifying.
Si Woo Kim earned a three-year exemption with his victory in The Players Championship, although the 21-year-old from South Korea was in the Tour Championship last year and thus already exempt for the U.S. Open, which is June 15-18.
Among players whose PGA Tour victories effectively got them into the U.S. Open are Wesley Bryan (RBC Heritage), Russell Henley (Shell Houston Open) and Brian Harman (Wells Fargo Championship) because winning moved them safely inside the top 60.
The same could be said for Pat Perez, though he has done far more than win the OHL Classic in Mexico last fall. Perez also has had several strong finishes, and his runner-up finish at the Wells Fargo Championship clinched it for him.
Jon Rahm’s victory at Torrey Pines in January also got him in, though the 22-year-old from Spain has done so well in other tournaments that it seems like a long time ago. Rahm already is up to No. 12 in the world.
Byeong Hun An is at No. 58 and playing the AT&T Byron Nelson, so his objective is to not fall out of the top 60. Lee Westwood (55), Match Play semifinalist Hideto Tanihara (56) and Jeunghun Wang (57) are not playing this week. Three European Tour players who are within range of the top 60 are not playing this week — Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan and Soren Kjeldsen. The European Tour has the BMW PGA Championship, its flagship event, next week at Wentworth. The tour this week has a new event, The Rocco Forte Open in Sicily, Italy, which has a weak field.
The winner of the BMW PGA Championship also earns a U.S. Open exemption. For everyone else, there is 36-hole sectional qualifying on June 5. There also is another exemption for the top 60 in the world ranking published the week of the U.S. Open.
If there is no movement in the top 60 in the world this week, 26 players would get in. And if someone not already eligible wins at Wentworth next week, that will be a total of 78 exempt players — half of the 156-man field, which is just how the USGA likes it.