Tinkering With Tiering
/Mike Dougherty reports that the wet spring has caused a lowering of jungle tier of rough from 6 1/2 inches to 5.
Another sign of Mike Davis's flexibility and willingness to err on the side of caution.
In golf construction art and utility meet; both are absolutely vital; one is utterly ruined without the other. GEORGE THOMAS
It’s back!
Twenty years later Tatra Press has kindly allowed me to bring back Grounds For Golf now that golf architecture is of more interest to the masses. A new Introduction looks at what’s driven the interest growth and two new chapters I had a blast adding (plus a few edits to keep things up-to-date).
The Amazon purchase page for the book arriving June 15, 2026.
The Man Loves His Spikes (And He'll WD To Prove His Point)
/Thanks to reader Tom Kirkendall and reader Edward for the heads up on this interesting Steve Campbell story about Steve Elkington WD'ing after being told he couldn't wear spikes at Lakewood Country Club.
USGA rules allow players to use spikes at next week's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. At the sectional level, the USGA allows the host sites to set the rules. Of the 13 sectionals on American soil, two allowed long spikes and 11 required soft spikes.
"I made a stand for the sport," Elkington said. "The USGA does not have an across-the-board way of qualifying. How can they have some sites that are spikeless and some sites that are not — and the rules of the USGA don't apply?
"They lost the plot here today about what it's all about."
Euro U.S. Open Qualifier: 24 WD's *
/Starting at 71 players for 8 spots, it ended up a 47 for 8 spotter. Lovely.
Other than Darren Clarke, the rest of the DNS's should not be allowed to enter next year unless they have a really, really good excuse.
Maarten Lafeber 64-66--130 -14
Graeme McDowell 70-68--138 -6
Jyoti Randhawa 71-67--138 -6
Graeme Storm 69-69--138 -6
Richard Green 72-67--139 -5
Jeev M. Singh 70-69--139 -5
Oliver Wilson 71-69--140 -4
Phillip Archer 69-71--140 -4
• • •
Failed To Qualify
y/a-Gary Wolstenholme 72-68--140 -4
y-Soren Kjeldsen 70-70--140 -4
Soren Hansen 69-71--140 -4
Marcus Fraser 74-67--141 -3
Garry Houston 67-74--141 -3
Peter O'Malley 71-70--141 -3
Steve Webster 68-73--141 -3
Gary Emerson 71-71--142 -2
Gregory Havret 71-71--142 -2
Andrew McLardy 75-67--142 -2
Jamie Spence 71-71--142 -2
Simon Wakefield 72-70--142 -2
Emanuele Canonica 75-68--143 -1
Peter Fowler 73-70--143 -1
Raphael Jacquelin 71-72--143 -1
Chris Rodgers 72-71--143 -1
Brett Rumford 73-70--143 -1
Gregory Bourdy 71-73--144 E
Brian Davis 73-71--144 E
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 72-73--145 +1
Jose-Filipe Lima 73-72--145 +1
Joakim Backstrom 71-75--146 +2
Paul Broadhurst 72-74--146 +2
Paul Lawrie 77-69--146 +2
Wade Ormsby 71-75--146 +2
Christian Cevaer 71-76--147 +3
Robert Karlsson 73-74--147 +3
Barry Lane 77-70--147 +3
Anthony Wall 72-75--147 +3
Simon Dyson 74-74--148 +4
Simon Khan 76-73--149 +5
Johan Edfors 76-74--150 +6
Francesco Molinari 74-79--153 +9
Peter Gustafsson 76-79--155 +11
Paul Curry 77-80--157 +13
Francois Delamontagne 72-WD
Andrew Oldcorn 75-WD
Richard Bland 76-WD
Sam Little 76-DQ
Darren Clarke WD
Nicolas Colsaerts WD
Robert-Jan Derksen WD
Jamie Donaldson WD
Scott Drummond WD
Richard Finch WD
Alastair Forsyth WD
Stephen Gallacher WD
Ignacio Garrido WD
Anton Haig WD
Christopher Hanell WD
Peter Hanson WD
Shiv Kapur WD
Jose Manuel Lara WD
Peter Lawrie WD
Jean Francois Lucquin WD
Andrew Marshall WD
Gary Murphy WD
Steven O'Hara WD
Marten Olander WD
Phillip Price WD
Miles Tunnicliff WD
Jean Van de Velde WD
Lee Westwood WD
Update on 2006-06-06 13:50 by Geoff
* Reader John notes that Clarke is in the world top 50 and did not need to qualify. Therefore he should not have even been listed as an entrant in the qualifying field.
Wie Coverage Watch
/
There was something retro and really fun about following Brett Avery's live hole by hole account of Michelle Wie's quest to qualify for the U.S. Open. You'll get the same old time vibe by checking out this photo gallery from GolfDigest.com.
It's funny that PGATour.com had the best coverage of Wie's quest today while GolfDigest.com tried three different links to scores (Met, TGC, ESPN), SI had nothing but AP stuff and USGA.org kicked the day off with its annual rehash of its merchandising success story (and scores only updated after each nine holes).
Golf Channel and Rich Lerner came through with an excellent wrap up show that you would hope they might do every year for the Sectionals, and not just the times Michelle Wie tries to qualify.
But it was Avery's hole-by-hole account, and his (Bernard) Darwinian obervations that stole the show. Not only because it allowed us to get a feel for this unique event in golf history via the Internet, but Avery and the Tour may have ushered in a new era in golf coverage. With the length of a golf round and the spread-out nature of a course, no other sport lends itself to a writer using a Blackberry type device (I'm pretty sure these were written accounts) to contribute real time blog updates. 
It wasn't perfect. You had to refresh the page instead of the page doing an automatic refresh like a typical PGATour leaderboard, but that's a minor detail they can work out. Imagine a similar on-course blog at a major where the writer follows the last group and offers supplemental online coverage for viewers at home wondering what went on with a ruling or what Tiger was saying to Stevie when they appeared to not agree on something.
Still, it requires an observant writer willing to take a few changes, and Avery, the former Golf Journal editor who covered the rise of Tiger Woods, was more than up to the task of putting Wie's historic run into perspective.
We can only hope PGATour.com will send Avery to Winged Foot so that web readers can get such a unique, inside-the-ropes account and that other golf news organizations will experiment with this novel form of reporting.
For a distinctly old school summary of the events, here's Dave Anderson column in the New York Times.
For final sectional results, check out this USOpen.com link.
"If the Tour decides to implement furrowing as part of a larger strategy to counteract technology..."
/Ryan Ballangee writes about the bunker furrowing at Muirfield Village:
...the question is this - if the Tour decides to implement this strategy in the long haul, is this a good move by the Tour? The answer, like most things, is "it depends."
If you are a purist like I am, then the answer may very well be that it is good. Since there is no action on equipment restrictions, the Tour can add this into its arsenal of setup changes it can make in an effort to discourage bombing and increase the penalty for inaccuracy. The problem, though, is that many Tour stops do not have very significant bunkering. This means that furrowed raking would only be prominent at a percentage of Tour stops. In essence, it's a six shooter with two bullets.
If you are a Tour marketer, then this is a terrible idea. There are only four weeks of the year that fans look forward to the best players in the world being made to look like fools - the major championships. In particular, the number one week for that is the US Open. The rest of the year, the fans are looking for interesting setups that reward accuracy, are not too gimmicky, and attract good fields. If the Tour decides to implement furrowing as part of a larger strategy to counteract technology, then they may actually upset some of the top players in the process. This could prove to hurt the potential of the FedEx Cup (not that it has any right now) and fly in the face of its goals.
Oh but the irony is so sweet!
British Amateur Date Change Improves Field
/The R&A is quite proud of the improved field caused by the British Amateur date change. I'm more proud of the amateurs for making the trip:
When the dates for the 2006 Amateur Championship were being considered, The R&A decided to play the Amateur during the third week in June to avoid a clash with the NCAA Division 1 Finals in the US.
That decision has resulted in 21 players in these NCAA Finals entering this year’s Amateur Championship which will be played at Royal St George’s and Prince’s from 19-24 June.
American college players Kevin Chappell, Stuart Moore, Dustin Pimm and Alex Prugh head the US entry of 19 which also includes 33 year old Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas, the winner of the 2005 US Mid-Amateur Championship. Marsh is a reinstated amateur following a brief spell as a professional.
Other top-ranked overseas players who will be competing in Kent include Won Joon Lee, Australia’s number one player and the winner earlier in the year of the NSW Medal. Countryman Tim Stewart, their national champion has also entered, as have Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, the German titleholder and Antti Ahokas of Finland, the recent winner of the Irish Open Stroke Play Championship.
Getting In the Mood For Winged Foot
/
Ready to get in the mood for Winged Foot?
Well besides plenty of Tillinghast quotes and some old photos I'm going to dig up, start by checking out out Peter McCleery's oral history of the 1974 U.S. Open.
The section on kids caddying is particularly fun.
MacDuff's Post Memorial FedEx Cup Standings
/
As always, a big thank you to reader MacDuff for compiling this mythical look at a 2006 PGA Tour FedEx Cup race. It continues to reward those who play well and play often...but we know that's not necessarily what the TV folks are looking for!
1 Mickelson 19309.37 12
2 Furyk 17687.5 12
3 Singh 16009.37 13
4 Glover 15854.16 11
5 Pettersson 15758.33 14
6 C.Campbell 15587.5 13
7 Toms 14821.87 10
8 Gf. Ogilvy 14737.5 10
9 Van Pelt 14002.5 15
10 Sabbatini 13754.16 12
11 Appleby 13737.5 11
12 Weir 13421.87 11
13 Z.Johnson 13075 11
14 Pampling 12885 11
15 Cink 12871.33 11
16 Oberholser 12775 11
17 Pernice 12600 9
18 Mayfair 12566.66 12
19 Gay 12525 12
20 Olazabal 12375 8
21 Vn Taylor 12137.5 10
22 T.Clark 12110 11
23 Verplank 12037.5 10
24 Donald 12014.37 8
25 Goosen 11962.5 9
26 B. Quigley 11500 10
27 A.Scott 11425 8
28 Love III 11412.5 11
29 Bohn 11363.33 12
30 Purdy 11312.5 11
31 Funk 11100 11
32 Herron 11022.5 10
33 D.Wilson 10937.5 11
34 Ames 10862.5 8
35 Parnevik 10767.5 12
36 T.Woods 10659.37 6
37 Immelman 10650 8
38 Choi 10537.5 10
39 Hoffman 10375 10
40 Senden 10350 9
41 Jerry Kelly 10325 9
42 RS Johnson 10305 10
43 Els 10077.5 10
44 Villegas 10062.5 10
45 Warren 10012.5 10
46 Lehman 9825 10
47 Wetterich 9775 7
48 JJ Henry 9162.5 9
49 Garcia 9112.5 8
50 Waldorf 9087.5 11
51 Palmer 9066.66 10
52 Rose 9041.66 11
53 Chopra 8992 11
54 J.Ogilvie 8945 9
55 Watney 8912.5 10
56 Estes 8837.5 9
57 Jobe 8817.5 9
58 Bertsch 8725 10
59 Leonard 8708.33 10
60 Crane 8685 9
61 Hart 8680 9
62 Imada 8680 10
63 G. Owen 8662.5 9
64 Baird 8242.5 8
65 Micheel 8162.5 9
66 Bryant 8150 8
67 Howell III 8137.5 12
68 Franco 8087.5 8
69 Harrington 7962.5 7
70 Couples 7925 8
71 N.Green 7877.5 10
72 Rollins 7862.5 8
73 Flesch 7782.5 12
74 Lowery 7700 10
75 Azinger 7625 9
76 Austin 7500 12
77 S. Maruyama 7462.5 9
78 Allenby 7450 7
79 Maggert 7437.5 8
80 JB Holmes 7420.83 7
81 Sluman 7412.5 12
82 Calc 7342.5 12
83 F.Jacobson 7337.5 7
84 Branshaw 7325 8
85 Beem 7293.75 9
86 DiMarco 7284.37 8
87 J.Smith 7225 8
88 Olin Browne 7075 12
89 Poulter 7062.5 8
90 Bjornstad 7005 9
91 Lonard 6975 9
92 Baddeley 6962.5 8
93 JL Lewis 6937.5 11
94 Bub Watson 6850 7
95 D. Howell 6825 6
96 Barlow 6712.5 8
97 Langer 6541.66 8
98 Slocum 6475 9
99 Fischer 6425 9
100 M.Wilson 6415 7
101 Gronberg 6350 7
102 Triplett 6275 7
103 Pat Perez 6262.5 7
104 Stricker 6225 5
105 Barron 6193.75 7
106 Pavin 6087.5 6
107 B. Haas 6050 8
108 Geiberger 6037.5 8
109 Sean O'Hair 6037 8
110 Br.Davis 5992.5 8
111 Durant 5962.5 10
112 Sindelar 5925 9
113 Sutherland 5900 8
114 Cook 5875 5
115 Faxon 5875 9
116 Curtis 5775 9
117 Gove 5737.5 6
118 Leaney 5712.5 7
119 Atwal 5625 5
120 Kenny Perry 5587.5 6
121 Gore 5525 6
122 J.Byrd 5500 4
123 Ws Short Jr 5437.5 10
124 Westwood 5187.5 5
125 Goggin 5125.25 5
126 Cabrera 5100 5
127 Matteson 5037.5 7
128 Petrovic 4925 7
129 D.Clarke 4900 4
130 Gamez 4800 8
131 Armour III 4700 6
132 Mahan 4550 9
133 Dickerson 4450 8
134 Nick Price 4300 4
135 Kaye 4287.5 7
136 Lickliter II 4275 6
137 Frazar 4237.5 7
138 Veazey 4225 6
139 Andrade 4207.5 7
140 David Duval 4200 6
Sand Saves At Memorial
/Ken Gordon reports in the Columbus Dispatch:
The first-round sand-save percentage (36.0) was the lowest of the Memorial Tournament. Cumulatively, it ended at 43.8 percent, still lower than the PGA Tour average coming in (49.1) and the 2005 Memorial (47.1), but certainly not a catastrophe.And this...
"It was more of a game strategy than it was bunker play," Stewart Cink said, "because there’s no way to hit out a good shot out of these terrible lies."
Wie Watch* ** ***
/PGATour.com's Brett Avery is doing a live blog on Michelle Wie's quest at Canoe Brook.
There is also this live scoring, but it's not nearly as up to date or interesting a complete waste of time.* Wie was through 8 holes and the live scoring page is still listing her tee time. Stick with the Avery blog.
Update on 2006-06-05 19:17 by Geoff
** USGA.org's front page story today with sectional qualifying underway and Michelle Wie attempting something historic?
"Keeping The U.S. Open Customer Satisfied."
Yes, a story on the history, sagas, importance and overall something or other of U.S. Open merchandising. At least they didn't say the U.S. Open consumer. That's next year.
*** Apparently the most exciting day of the year for friends of Open hopefuls (and surely one of the busiest for USGA.org) finally won out, and the merchandise story has been set aside as of 3 p.m. EST.
Furrowing A Failure Or Success?
/
Despite the negative player comments and the heated debate that CBS did their best to pretend wasn't happening by actually showing player interviews (imagine a NASCAR or NFL telecast running so timidly from an interesting controversy), it seems that the bunker furrowing at Muirfield Village brought attention to the question of whether a bunker should be a hazard.
It would also seem that most everyone who didn't vote on a rake spec while serving on the Tour policy board believes bunkers are too good and that this was a great start to restoring the hazard element.
It would also seem that furrowing wasn't the perfect way to go about it, since it appeared fairway bunkers were treated different than greenside bunkers and there was a debate about which direction to rake in, the depth, the motivation, etc...
And there are also questions about how this little experiment will influence Green Committees across the land.
Finally, the excessive rough that has overtaken the sport would seem to make the concept seem more "unfair" than it really is.
My verdict: it was delightful to see bunkers mean something again. It was even more fun hear select players who have pushed a $elfish agenda on the distance issue--the primary culprit behind all of this setup madness--whine over something that appeared in part because of deregulation.
Your verdict?
PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 22
/
Carl Pettersson.
Boy, the athleticism and physical conditioning on the PGA Tour today is mighty impressive!
Anyway, after the soggy Memorial, the PGA Tour driving distance average dropped to 288.9 yards, down from 289.5 following last week's event in Memphis.
There was 1 350-or-longer drive, with the season total now at 945.
Here's an article about that drive along with some stuff about Bubba Watson's caddie woes.
Oh yes, it was Bubba Watson driving the 14th at Muirfield Village! He relates this story about standing on the tee box after driving the green.
"Someone yelled, ‘flex!’ " Bubba said, "so I wanted to show him I don’t have any muscles because I don’t work out. The only time I visit (the tour fitness trailer) is to say hello to friends."
The Sectional Storyline
/AP's Doug Ferguson looks at Michelle Wie's quest to qualify for the U.S. Open and weighs her chances.
Sectional "Storylines"
/
Highlights from the USGA media department release on U.S. Open qualifying "storylines":
June 5
Littleton, Colo. (Columbine C.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots
Steve Irwin of Golden, Colo., the son of three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, is in the field. The younger Irwin has never competed in an Open, while his father has 34 appearances, the second-most in history.
Tyler Parsloe, 16, of Littleton, Colo., is hoping to follow in the footsteps of two other Colorado teens who recently qualified for the Open as 16-year-olds: Derek Tolan (2002) and Tom Glissmeyer (2003). Parsloe is one of four 16-year-olds to advance to sectional qualifying.
Surrey, England (Walton Heath Golf Club): 71 golfers for 8 spots
Graeme McDowell of Ireland is a former Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper.
Francesco Molinari of Italy is the older brother of 2006 U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari. Francesco captured the 2006 Italian Open.
Gary Wolstenholme of England is a career amateur and is the all-time points leader for the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad. He also is a two-time British Amateur champion.
Rockville, Md. (Woodmont Country Club): 51 golfers for 4 spots
Tommy Armour III of Las Colinas, Texas, is the grandson of 1927 U.S. Open champion Tommy Armour. He will be looking to play in his seventh Open. His grandfather competed in 27.
David Berganio Jr. of Sylmar, Calif., is a two-time winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship (1991 and ’93).
Wayne Defrancesco of Rockville, Md., will proceed to sectional qualifying at Woodmont C.C. where he is a teaching professional. He finished with the low score of his qualifying field in Baltimore, Md.
Gordon Vietmeier, 39, a teaching professional and a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., moved ahead to sectional rounds after qualifying at Quicksilver Golf Club.
Summit, N.J. (Canoe Brook C.C.): 153 golfers for 18 spots
Several New York-area residents will be trying to make it a special week at Winged Foot.
* Charlie Meola grew up on the public courses near his house in Mamaroneck. But every once in a while he'd work up the nerve to take a few clubs and a handful of balls, cut through a couple of yards and sneak into Winged Foot Golf Club. Meola, now 31, has since returned to play the famed courses by entering through the front gates. The Mahopac Golf Club pro moved a step closer to playing Winged Foot in one of golf's majors. He fired an even-par 71 in his U.S. Open local qualifier at Siwanoy Country Club.
* Ben Hoffhine’s apartment on Fenimore Road in Mamaroneck is as a little more than a mile down the street from Winged Foot Golf Club, and it’s likely there isn't a golf pro in the world who lives closer to this year's championship site. Hoffhine, the head pro at Wykagyl C.C. in New Rochelle, shot a 70 to earn medalist honors at his local qualifier at Atlantic Golf Club.
* Another qualifier from the Atlantic G.C. site was Andrew Svoboda, a Winged Foot member (4-time Club champ) and former Met Open champion who advanced to the quarterfinals of the ’04 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot. Svoboda has since turned pro.
* Heath Wassem, the head pro at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, also advanced at his local qualifier at Cherry Valley Club in Garden City. Fenway is located not far from Winged Foot.
* Rick Hartmann of Sag Harbor, N.Y., is the pro at Atlantic Golf Club in Southampton. He played in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and finished tied for 46th. He is paired with Michelle Wie on Monday.
* George Zahringer of New York is the oldest winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was 48 when he won in 2002 at his home course, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn.
USA Walker Cupper Nicholas Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., will be trying to advance to his first U.S. Open. He advanced from a Weston, Fla., qualifier. Thompson now plays on the PGA Tour.
Brock Mackenzie of Yakima, Wash., was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup team. Mackenzie qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as an amateur.
Geoffrey Sisk, 41, of Marshfield, Mass., will be attempting to qualify for his fifth U.S. Open. Sisk made the cut at Shinnecock Hills (T40) in 2004. He also made the cut at Pinehurst in 1999, finishing tied for 30th.
Michelle Wie, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii is attempting to become the first female to ever play in a U.S. Open. Wie was medalist (shot even par 72) at her qualifier at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii. Wie won the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship as a 13-year-old, becoming the youngest winner of an “adult” USGA championship.
Former major winners Mark O’Meara (1998 Masters and British Open) and Mark Brooks (1996 PGA) are in the field.
Hunter Mahan of Plano, Texas, won the 1999 U.S. Junior title and was the runner-up at the 2002 U.S. Amateur. He has competed in one U.S. Open (2003).
Ricky Barnes of Stockton, Calif., was the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion. He competed in three U.S. Opens as an amateur, but has yet to qualify since turning pro in 2003.
Former Walker Cupper (1995) Kris Cox of Dallas, Texas, will look to draw on his good memories of Canoe Brook, where he shot a course-record 64 on the South Course to help him qualify for the Open in 2004.
Ben “Bubba” Dickerson of Plano, Texas, won the 2001 U.S. Amateur, but turned pro after the Masters and thus forfeited his exemption into the ’02 Open. He is hoping to qualify for his first Open.
Austin Eaton III of North Sutton, N.H., won the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a semifinalist last summer at the U.S. Amateur.
David Gossett of Germantown, Tenn., won the 1999 U.S. Amateur and made the cut at the 2000 Masters. He is paired with Michelle Wie in this qualifier.
John Nieporte of Boca Raton, Fla., would like to have a special Father’s Day at Winged Foot. His father, Tom, is Winged Foot’s longtime head professional.Columbus, Ohio (Brookside Golf & C.C./Lakes Golf & C.C.): 144 golfers for 21 spots
Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer's grandson, survived a six-man playoff to grab one of the final three berths available from his qualifier at Orlando’s MetroWest Golf Club. An 18-year-old amateur, he was the stroke-play medalist at the 2005 U.S. Junior, where he recorded a hole-in-one. Palmer has played in 32 U.S. Opens, while Saunders will look to play in his first.
Jason Gore of Valencia, Calif., who was the ‘Prince of Pinehurst’ in 2005, went on to win three Nationwide Tour events and the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic. Gore played in the final pairing last June, only to shoot an 84 on Sunday.
Cincinnati native Brett Wetterich, who earned his first PGA Tour win in May at the EDS Byron Nelson Classic, needed a playoff to advance from his local qualifying site in Cincinnati.
Pinehurst, N.C., native Drew Scott, who is the golf coach at Rice University in Houston, survived a playoff to get one of the last two remaining spots at his qualifier in Daniels, W.Va.
Two-time major winner John Daly (1991 PGA and ’95 British Open) hopes to make it to his 14th U.S. Open, where his best finish is a T-27 in 1996.
J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville, Ky., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup squad and then captured his first PGA Tour event as a rookie this past January at the FBR Open in Phoenix
Trip Kuehne of Dallas, Texas, is a two-time USA Walker Cupper and the runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1994 U.S. Amateur. He also was low amateur at the 2003 U.S. Open.
Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., would like to get back to the venue where he won the 2004 U.S. Amateur. Moore also won the 2002 and ’04 APL titles and competed on the 2003 USA Walker Cup team.
Kyle Reifers of Columbus, Ohio, competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and is one of three players not to turn professional.
Jeff Sluman of Hinsdale, Ill., captured the 1988 PGA Championship and competed in 17 U.S. Opens.
D.J. Trahan of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and was on the 2001 USA Walker Cup team.
Camilo Villegas of Colombia was the 1999 U.S. Junior runner-up and one of the top rookies on the PGA Tour. The 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills was his professional debut.
Chris Devlin, a native of Northern Ireland, advanced to sectional qualifying rounds. He is currently a member of the golf team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Brad Hardin of Nashville, Tenn., moved ahead to sectional qualifying. He is the brother of Leigh Anne Hardin, who was the 1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion.
Columbus, Ohio #2 (Double Eagle Golf Club): 37 golfers for 2 spot
Michael Putnam of Tacoma, Wash., was a member of the 2005 USA Walker Cup team. He qualified for the 2005 U.S. Open as an amateur. Putnam, a member of the Nationwide Tour, was the medalist at the Somis, Calif., local qualifier.
Chez Reavie of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Creswell, Ore. (Emerald Valley G.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots
Clay Ogden of West Point, Utah, won the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, including a quarterfinal victory over Michelle Wie.
Alejandro Canizares, 23, a native of Spain, finished first in local qualifying in Phoenix, Ariz. The former ASU Sun Devil was the 2003 NCAA national champion and was also named Freshman of the Year.
Houston, Texas (Lakeside Country Club): 32 golfers for 2 spots
Tom Kite of Austin, Texas, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, will be looking to compete in his 34th Open. Only Hale Irwin (34) and Jack Nicklaus (44) have competed in more U.S. Opens.
Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 APL.
Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., won the 2005 U.S. Junior title on his 17th birthday. He is the son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, who will try to qualify in Columbus, Ohio.
June 6
Tampa, Fla. (Old Memorial Golf Club): 59 golfers for 3 spots
Fred Ridley of Tampa, Fla., won the 1974 U.S. Amateur and just completed his two-year term as USGA President. The 53-year-old will try to qualify at his home club.
John Calabria, 58, of Naples, Fla., is the oldest player to come out of local qualifying.
Eric Cole, 17, of Orlando, can look to his mother for inspiration on the course. Laura Baugh captured the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur as a 16-year-old and competed in 14 Women’s Opens, including a tie for eighth in 1979.
Matt Every, 22, of Daytona Beach, Fla., was low amateur at the 2005 U.S. Open and a member of the ’05 USA Walker Cup team. He recently was named the Ben Hogan Award winner.
Atlanta, Ga. (Ansley Golf Club Settindown Creek Course): 65 golfers for 4 spot
Matt Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion who made the cut at both the 1998 Masters and U.S. Open, will look to play in his fifth U.S. Open.
Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., won the 2003 U.S. Junior and was a key member of the victorious 2005 USA Walker Cup team. Harman just completed his freshman season at the University of Georgia.
Nick Flanagan of Australia won the 2003 U.S. Amateur and competed at the ’04 Open, but missed the cut.
St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Run Golf Club): 27 golfers for 2 sports
Jay Delsing of St. Louis, who owns a pair of runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, will be vying to play in his third U.S. Open, but first since 1992 at Pebble Beach, where he tied for 33rd.
Azinger Furrows Brow At Furrows*
/From the Dayton Daily News, Bucky Albers reporting:
"It's a joke, really," Azinger said after turning in a 71 Friday that left him at even par after 36 holes. "Peter Lonard is one of the best fairway bunker players I've ever seen. We were the same. He couldn't hit it out, and neither could I.
"It neutralizes everybody who is a good bunker player. The best players in the world are trying to separate themselves from the next guy down. It just makes it harder. Jack (Nicklaus) separated himself his whole career."
Someone mentioned that bunker shots weren't Nicklaus' strong suit. "He was not a great bunker player, but he was never in them," Azinger said.
Azinger said the players have no say-so about playing conditions, and he doesn't think they should have any input because each would prefer conditions that favor his skills.
Update on 2006-06-05 02:16 by Geoff
After his final round, Azinger had this to say:
"I think that they probably avoided the bunkers this week. I didn't hit too many bunkers, and it cost me big time. I didn't hit it very good, so it's supposed to cost me. I don't have a problem with the concept that a bunker should be difficult, but I do have a problem with a bunker being prepared in a way that makes somebody who's phenomenal the same as somebody who's terrible, does that make sense?"
And I'm not sure about this logic...
"If you hate the bunkers being easier, just take them out. Make the whole place grass, if the bunkers are that easy, make the whole place grass. They're not that easy."
How about hard bunkers and less tall grass?
