Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Who did qualify for the U.S. Open?

Michelle Wie didn't make it, but who did?

Here's the USGA wrap-up on qualifiers from around the country...

QUIGLEY HEADS U.S. OPEN QUALIFIERS IN N.J., WIE UNSUCCESSFUL

Far Hills, N.J. – Brett Quigley fired rounds of 68-63 for an 11-under-par total of 131 to head up a group of 18 qualifiers from 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifying in Summit, N.J., where 16-year-old Michelle Wie’s bid was unsuccessful. The 2006 Open will be played June 15-18 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

A total of 73 qualifying spots in the U.S. Open field of 156 players were available prior to the beginning of sectional qualifying at 14 sites today and Tuesday. Three spots had previously been earned May 29 in Japan.

At Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., Wie of Honolulu, Hawaii, was vying to become the first woman to play in a U.S. Open. She played admirably, firing a 2-under-par 68 on the South Course in the morning and holding that position through 30 holes before scoring bogeys at her 31st, 32nd and 33rd holes. (see accompanying story on www.usopen.com)

Quigley, who won the 1987 U.S. Junior Amateur, will be competing in his fourth Open. Michael Harris, Kent Jones, Greg Kraft and Kevin Stadler also won Canoe Brook spots at 8-under-par 134. Mark Brooks, the 1996 PGA champion and the runner-up at the 2001 U.S. Open, J.J. Henry, who grew up nearby in Connecticut, and Rob Johnson, logged in at 135.

Andrew Svoboda, who holds a membership at Winged Foot and was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Amateur there in 2004, earned a spot by shooting 72-65-137. Another local product, Chris Nallen, who grew up in Hackettstown, N.J., shot 69-68—137 to advance to the Open. A five-player for one spot playoff gave Brad Fritsch of Canada the last of 18 places.
Prominent players who did not qualify were Billy Andrade (73-66—139) and Mark O’Meara (74-68—142).

Canadian Tour player Benjamin Hayes (67-64) and European Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter (65-66) shared medalist honors at the Columbus, Ohio site at Brookside Country Club and The Lakes Golf and Country Club at 13-under-par 131 to head the largest field of the day with 21 qualifying spots.

Also among the qualifiers at this Columbus site were Camilo Villegas (67-69-136), J.B. Holmes (70-66-136), Jeff Sluman (65-71-136) and 52-year-old Jay Haas (69-70—139), who just won the Senior PGA Championship on May 28. Among those not advancing to Winged Foot were Jeff Maggert (140), Aaron Baddeley, Jesper Parnevik, and Jason Gore (141), Bob Tway (147), and Ryan Moore (151).

At the Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Ore., two members of the newly crowned 2006 NCAA Champion Oklahoma State team, who happen to be roommates, battled in a playoff for the one available slot. Freshman Jonathan Moore of Vancouver, Wash., who won NCAA individual honors at Sunriver Resort in Bend, Ore. over the weekend, and senior Pablo Martin of Spain, who finished 5th, each shot 70-67-137, 5-under-par and went just one hole when Moore prevailed with a birdie for the trip to Winged Foot.

International qualifying was staged for the second time this year and at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, Maarten Lafeber of the Netherlands shot rounds of 64-66 for 14-under-par total of 130 to head a group of eight qualifiers. Lafeber, who will be playing in his second Open, made 16 birdies and two bogeys in his trips around Walton Heath’s OId and New Courses.

Tommy Armour III (68-67-135), Joey Sindelar (70-66-136), David Berganio (70-67-137) and Chad Collins 69-68-137) were the four place-winners from the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.

With two berths at stake at St. Charles (Ill.) Country Club near Chicago, Steve Stricker earned his 11th Open appearance by shooting 15-under-par 129 (65-64). Stricker was joined by Jason Allred, who shot 71 and a course-record 63 for 134. Allred, the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur champion who plays on the Nationwide Tour, birdied four of his last five holes for the 9-under 63.

At the second Columbus, Ohio site at Double Eagle Golf Club, Madalitso Muthiya of Zambia, who played college golf at New Mexico, shot 65-69-134 to earn the first of two spots. He was joined by Stephen Woodard of Charlotte, N.C., who shot 70-68—138.

A pair of amateurs, Ryan Baca of Richmond, Texas (67-69) and Ryan Posey of Dallas, Texas (65-71) each shot 136 to win berths from Lakeside Country Club in Houston, Texas. Baca, 23, just finished his eligibility at Baylor and Posey, 22, is a senior at Oklahoma State.

Dustin White of Pueblo West, Colo., earned the only berth among 25 players at Columbine Country Club near Denver, by shooting 67-68 for a 9-under-par total of 135.

Fifteen-year-old amateur Tadd Fujikawa of Honolulu earned the only spot at Poipu Bay Golf Club in Koloa, Hawaii by shooting 71-70--141.

At Lake Merced Golf Club near San Francisco, Calif., Michael Derminio of Scottsdale, Ariz., earned the qualifying medal with scores of 70-68—138. The other three qualifiers at Lake Merced were amateur Taylor Wood of Laguna Niguel, Calif., (64-75—139) Alex Coe of La Quinta, Calif. (69-71—140) and Patrick Nagle of Pacifica, Calif. (73-67—140). Coe and Nagle earned their berths in a playoff.

Canoe Brook qualifiers...

Canoe Brook Country Club, Summit, N.J. – 153 players for 18 spots
Brett Quigley, Jupiter, Fla., 68-63--131
Gregory Kraft, Largo, Fla., 67-67--134
Kent Jones, Albuquerque, N.M., 66-68--134
Kevin Stadler, Scottsdale, Ariz., 66-68--134
Michael Harris, Shorewood, Wis., 68-66--134
J J Henry, Fort Worth, Texas, 70-65--135
Mark Brooks, Fort Worth, Texas, 68-67--135
Rob Johnson, Orlando, Fla., 66-69--135
Andy Bare, Jacksonville, Fla., 70-66--136
John Mallinger, Reston, Va., 68-68--136
Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla., 69-67--136
Tom Pernice Jr, Murrieta, Calif., 68-68--136
Andrew Svoboda, Larchmont, N.Y., 72-65--137
Chris Nallen, Scottsdale, Ariz., 69-68--137
David Oh, Cerritos, Calif., 67-70--137
Phil Tataurangi, Flower Mound, Texas, 71-66--137
Scott Hend, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 68-69--137
Brad Fritsch, Canada, 72-66--138

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