2013 U.S. Open Sectional Storylines
/Golf's most democratic day features 11 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying sites with plenty of great storylines that Golf Channel will no doubt follow up on during their day-long election-return style coverage that runs until midnight ET and also includes an exclusive digital stream from 10 am to 1 pm ET.
Alex Miceli reports on the final number of spots for each site.
Jeff Bradley filed a nice follow-up to one of 2012's best qualifying stories, Casey Martin.
Golf Channel has set up a Twitter stream page for the day if you want on-site reports.
I've picked out a few that jumped out with bio information courtesy of the USGA media department...
Big Canyon Country Club & Newport Beach Country Club
Newport Beach, Calif.
• Jeff Brehaut of Los Altos, Calif., has played on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour. Brehaut, who celebrates his 50th birthday on June 13, will also attempt to qualify for this year’s U.S. Senior Open. Brehaut has played in two U.S. Opens and tied for 17th in 2007.
• Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif., is a 16-year-old junior at Westlake High who was medalist in U.S. Open local qualifying at La Purisima G.C. His father, Gary, is a retired international Zimbabwean cricketer. Sean, who has been mentored by PGA Tour and Champions Tour veteran Nick Price, was low amateur at the Zimbabwe Open in April.
• Max Homa of Valencia, Calif., is an All-American golfer at the University of California-Berkeley. He recently became the third Cal player to win the Pacific-12 Conference championship, shooting 61 in the first round. Homa advanced to the 2010 U.S. Amateur quarterfinals and the round of 32 at the 2012 U.S. Amateur.
• Beau Hossler, 18, of Mission Viejo, Calif., tied for 29th at last year’s U.S Open and held the lead during one point in the second round. He also qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open, reached the round of 32 at the 2012 U.S. Amateur and was the 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur stroke-play medalist and a match-play quarterfinalist. He qualified for the 2009 U.S. Amateur as an eighth grader.
• Steven Irwin of Arvada, Colo., is the son of three-time U.S. Open and two-time U.S. Senior Open champion Hale Irwin. Steven, who has caddied for his father in the U.S. Open, is president of Hale Irwin Golf Services. He made his first Open appearance at Congressional in 2011 and has also played in five U.S. Mid-Amateurs.
• Lyon Lazare of Villa Park, Calif., is a pianist and a musical composer. Lazare, who began studying piano at age 3, recently became the first Chapman University golfer to earn all-conference honors. Several of his musical compositions honor his late sister.
• Johnny MacArthur of Newhall, Calif., was a medalist in U.S. Open local qualifying and is on the Pepperdine University golf team. He comes from an athletic family. His father, Matt, played baseball (Arizona) while his mother, Kelly, was a gymnastics standout (UCLA). His brother, Ty, was the leading receiver at the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2012.
• Andy Miller, 35, is the son of 1973 U.S. Open champion and NBC analyst Johnny Miller. The four-time All-American at Brigham Young University tied for 62nd at the 2002 U.S. Open.
Ritz-Carlton Members Club
Bradenton, Fla.
• Austin Grey, 25, of Spring Hill, Fla., joined the U.S. Marine Corps after high school. He served more than five years, rose to rank of corporal and was deployed to Kuwait in 2008. Grey is a member of the St. Leo University golf team
• Sam Horsfield, 15, from Davenport, Fla., advanced to match play at the 2012 Junior Amateur (round of 32) and 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links (round of 64), and qualified for the 2012 U.S Amateur. Horsfield has won two consecutive City of Orlando Amateurs and set a tournament record each year.
• Nyasha Mauchaza moved from Zimbabwe to the United States in 2005. His parents, both doctors, settled in Haverford, Pa., less than one mile from Merion Golf Club. Mauchaza, who is playing on the Golfslinger.com Tour, attended Towson University, where he twice earned All-Colonial Athletic Association honors.
• Brad Schneider of Valrico, Fla., received the David Toms Award, given to a college golfer who has overcome adversity to achieve excellence. Schneider was playing football with his friends six years ago when his right leg caught behind him. Following nine surgeries and four months in bed, he learned to walk properly again and eventually began playing golf.
• John Wright, 49, of Gulf Shores, Ala., won the 1989 Alabama State Amateur. Wright, who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Amateur. t plays speed golf once a week. He carries four clubs and plays nine holes in an average of 28 minutes, with an average score of 38. He takes an average of 65 minutes to play 18 holes with an average score of 76.
Hawks Ridge Golf Club
Ball Ground, Ga.
• Billy Andrade, 49, has played in 11 U.S. Opens and tied for sixth in 1992. The winner of PGA Tour events, Andrade was a member of the 1987 USA Walker Cup Team.
• T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., captured the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Soldier Hollow G.C. in Midway, Utah. With his victory, he earned an invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament. As a junior at the University of Florida, Vogel was chosen second-team All-American.
Woodmont Country Club
Rockville, Md.
• Stephen Bosdosh and Sean Bosdosh of Clarksburg, Md., are members of the University of Maryland golf team. Stephen, a senior, shared medalist honors at a U.S. Open local qualifier in Chambersburg, Pa. Sean, a junior, shot 69 in the Urbana, Md. local qualifier. Their father, Steve, who also attempted to qualify, is a teaching professional at Four Streams Golf Academy, in Beallsville, Md.
• Fred Funk, 56, won the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. He has twice finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open, including sixth in 2004. Funk, the former University of Maryland golf coach, has eight PGA Tour and eight Champions Tour victories.
• Benjamin Griffin, 17, of Chapel Hill, N.C., has won North Carolina’s state high school 4-A championship two of the last three years. The junior is a member of the East Chapel High team and has committed to play at the University of North Carolina. Griffin advanced to the round of 16 at last year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links.
• Michael Muehr, 41, of Potomac Falls, Va., founded Golf Pros Beating Cancer to raise funds for Melanoma research. Muehr, a former PGA Tour player, was found to have a cancerous tumor on his right Achilles in 2002. He retired the following year and was reinstated as an amateur in 2007
• Dan Obremski of Irwin, Pa., is a mini-tour player who played at Coastal Carolina. He was the medalist at the local qualifier in Export, Pa. His father, Daniel, was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2006. Rising to as high as No. 3 in the world, Daniel captured five national open doubles titles.
• Cory Siegfried of Villanova, Pa., advanced at the local qualifier at Applebrook G.C., the same course where he qualified for last year’s U.S. Amateur. Siegfried, a graduate student at Villanova University and a member of the golf team, attended Haverford School, which is two miles from Merion Golf Club.
Old Warson Country Club
St. Louis
• Don Berry, 51, of Rogers, Minn., is going through U.S. Open qualifying for the 33rd time. He made his lone Open appearance in 1992. Berry, the brother-in-law of 2003 U.S. Women’s Open champion Hilary Lunke, was inducted into the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. He has served as head professional at Edinburgh USA for 17 years.
• Jay Don Blake, 54, has won on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. He has played in the U.S. Open 12 times and tied for sixth in 1992, his best finish in a major championship. Blake, who attended Utah State University, was the 1980 NCAA Division I champion.
• Kenneth Li, 15, of Westmont, Ill., is a freshman on the Hinsdale Central High School golf team. He helped lead the school to the 2012 Illinois 3A state championship.
• Mark O’Meara, 56, has played in 23 U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for third in 1988. Among O’Meara’s 16 PGA Tour victories are the 1998 Masters and British Open. In 1979, he defeated John Cook to capture the U.S. Amateur.
Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club
Purchase, N.Y.
• Cameron Chottiner, 15, of Westport, Conn., is a freshman at St. Luke’s School. He birdied the final two holes in local qualifying and survived a five-hole, six-man playoff.
• Brad Faxon of Barrington, R.I., has played in 20 U.S. Opens. The 51-year-old has won eight PGA Tour events and is now playing on the Champions Tour.
• Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion when he won in 2010 at age 14. Now 17, Liu has signed to play at Stanford University in the fall. A four-time AJGA Rolex All-American, Liu was the runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• Justin Regier of East Amherst, N.Y., was the medalist at the local qualifier in Montana. He has played on the NGA and Canadian tours. His father, Darcy, is the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres and was a defenseman with the New York Islanders and Cleveland Barons.
• Paul Simson, 62, won his second USGA Senior Amateur championship last year. Simson, a New Jersey native who lives in North Carolina, also claimed the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur. He has played in 55 national championships.
• Geoffrey Sisk, 48, of Marshfield, Mass., is attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open at both the local and sectional levels for a fifth time. He qualified at both levels in 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2007.
• Jesse Smith of Barrington, R.I., was the medalist at his local qualifier, but six weeks earlier he shot a 59 at Dubsdread G.C., in Orlando, Fla. His late father, Guy, a full-blooded Mohawk from Six Nations in Ontario, played for the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in the 1970s.
Brookside Golf and Country Club & The Lakes Golf and Country Club
Columbus, Ohio
• Kenny Cook of Noblesville, Ind., was the runner-up at the 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur. In 2012, he reached match play at both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur. Cook is an accountant for the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, has four PGA Tour wins. He has played in seven U.S. Opens, and his best finish is a tie for 14th in 2010.
• James Driscoll was the runner-up at the 2000 U.S. Amateur and a member of the 2001 USA Walker Cup Team. In 2000, he defeated Luke Donald in the U.S. Amateur semifinals before losing to Jeff Quinney in the 39-hole championship match. Driscoll was also the 1995 Junior Amateur runner-up.
• David Frost, 53, has appeared in 14 U.S. Opens and has four top-25 finishes. The South African has won 10 PGA Tour and four Champions Tour events.
• Jay Hwang of Fullerton, Calif., was the runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Hwang, who participated in the 2012 U.S. Amateur, is a sophomore on the UCLA golf team.
• Mike Ignasiak of Saline, Mich., was a relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1991 to 1995. His brother, Gary, briefly pitched for the Detroit Tigers. The 47-year-old has played in the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links.
• Davis Love III has made 23 U.S. Open appearances and owns five top-10 finishes, including a tie for second in 1996. Love has 20 PGA Tour wins, including the 1997 PGA Championship. He served as United States captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup.
• Camilo Villegas has made seven U.S. Open appearances, including a tie for ninth in 2008. The Colombian native was the runner-up at the 1999 U.S. Junior Amateur to Hunter Mahan. Villegas’ brother, Manuel, has advanced to sectional qualifying in Bradenton, Fla.
Springfield Country Club
Springfield, Ohio
• Christian Heavens of Fairview Heights, Ill., is a product of the First Tee of St. Louis. He played at Georgetown College in Kentucky where he was voted Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. He qualified for the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay. His uncle, Jerome, is among Notre Dame’s all-time rushing leaders and was drafted in 1979 by the Chicago Bears.
• Steve Scott was the 1996 U.S. Amateur runner-up to Tiger Woods, losing in 38 holes. Scott, who is the head professional at Paramount C.C. in New City, N.Y., played on the PGA, Web.com and Canadian tours. He was a member of two USA Walker Cup Teams, in 1997 and 1999.
• David Duval, the 2001 British Open champion, tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open and has four top-10 finishes. He won the 1989 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• Jeff Gove, 41, of Carlsbad, Calif., played in the U.S. Open for the first time in 2004 after advancing through local and sectional qualifying. Gove, who will try for a second Open appearance, once caddied for former NFL quarterback John Brodie when he won a Champions Tour event.
• Bryden Macpherson, 22, from Australia, captured the 2011 British Amateur championship. Macpherson, who attended the University of Georgia, turned pro after playing in the 2012 Masters, forfeiting his U.S. Open exemption last year.
• Rocco Mediate was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Open, where he lost a 19-hooe playoff to Tiger Woods. The 50-year-old, who has played in 15 U.S. Opens, won the first Champions Tour event he entered in February.
• Ron Whittaker of Little Rock, Ark., is the nephew of former PGA Tour professional and Golf Channel analyst Lanny Wadkins, who played in 20 U.S. Opens and tied for second in 1976. Whittaker’s first golf lesson came at age 2 from 1960 U.S. Open champion Arnold Palmer.
Tumble Creek Club
Cle Elum, Wash.
• Jason Allred of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Allred is attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open a third time. He achieved the feat in 2006 and 2010.
• Casey Martin is the head golf coach at the University of Oregon. At age 26, Martin played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, using a cart in competition due to a circulatory disorder, Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome. In 2012, he qualified for his second U.S. Open, which was again held at Olympic.
Lakewood Country Club
Dallas, Texas
• Andy Aduddell of Avondale, Ariz., was named the Arizona Golf Association’s 2012 Player of the Year after winning the state’s amateur and mid-amateur titles. He was a professional golfer before becoming a F-16 fighter pilot and teaching the 56th Training Squadron at Luke Air Force Base. The 38-year-old, whose call sign is “Wedge,” enlisted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
• Sam Burns, 16, of Shreveport, La., is sophomore on the Calvary Baptist Academy golf team. He was the medalist in his local qualifier two weeks after capturing Louisiana’s Division III high school championship. Burns played Merion Golf Club last fall with PGA Tour veteran David Toms and his son, Carter.
• Case Cochran of Paducah, Ky., is the son of Russ Cochran, who has played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour and won the 2011 British Senior Open. Case, who recently turned professional, is Texas A&M University’s 2013 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
• Todd Hamilton, 47, won the 2004 British Open by defeating Ernie Els in a four-hole aggregate playoff. He has made eight U.S. Open appearances, tying for 36th in 2008 and 2009.
• Ryan Hybl of Norman, Okla., is the head men’s golf coach at the University of Oklahoma. An All-American at the University of Georgia, Hybl was the runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur championship.
• Jordan Spieth was the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open, he tying for 21st. He turned professional in December. Spieth won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateurs, the lone golfer besides Tiger Woods to have won the championship multiple times. He was a quarterfinalist at the 2011 U.S. Amateur and played on the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team.
