GOLF
How do golfers qualify for the 2024 US Open? Local and sectional qualifying
A field of 156 players are vying for glory at North Carolina’s Pinehurst Resort, including world number one Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods.
This week sees the 124th edition of the United States Open Championship at Course No. 2 of the Pinewood Resort in North Carolina.
It’s the United States’ national open competition, meaning that both professionals and amateurs are able to qualify. However the qualification process is extremely competitive with just 156 of the world’s best making it through to the first round.
Some players are exempt from qualification after winning recent majors or other competitions, or due to their position in the world golf rankings. The qualification occurs in two parts, with winners in the local qualifiers advancing to the final qualifying round.
How to qualify for the US Open
The final field of 156 golfers will be comprised of two groups: exempt players and qualifiers. Those with an exemption are invited by dint of their previous performances, while the qualifiers will take place in events around the world leading up to the competition. Here’s how those groups work...
Exempt players - The winners of recent PGA Tour events, including any US Open winner from the past decade, will be granted automatic entry, as will all the top 60 players in the World Golf Rankings. Golf’s governing body, USGA, is also able to grant special exemptions, as it did to Tiger Woods for this year’s competition.
Qualifying - US-based players compete in the Local Qualifying series in competitions across the country in April and May. Amateur golfers progress from there to a series of final qualifying tournament, held in United States, United Kingdom and Japan from 20 May to 3 June.
Every year the final 156-player field includes 15 amateurs who made their way through the various qualification rounds to make it to the tournament proper. Often this group includes young prospects who go on to turn professional, such as Scottie Scheffler who made the cut as an amateur in 2017.
Scheffler, the world’s number one golfer, is the hot favourite to clinch the US Open title for the first time and is coming into the competition on good form. He won last week’s Memorial Tournament, his fifth title of the year, and appears to have put the incident at the US PGA Championship behind him. Rory McIlroy and Xander Scheuffele are also in contention at Pinehurst Resort.