The USGA is proud that the U.S. Open is the most democratic championship in the world. And it’s only on days like Monday, June 8th that we can do that. 713 professionals and amateurs were scheduled to play 36 holes at 10 venues across the United States and Canada, hoping to be among the more than 10,000 applicants who qualified for the U.S. Open at the end of the so-called “longest day in golf.” I’ve written this before, but I’ll repeat it here. People who make progress are proof of perseverance. For first-time players, it’s a dream come true and they get the chance to play in a major championship. For veterans, this is an opportunity to test themselves again, perhaps for the last time.
Often, the reactions of the athletes themselves – hugs and tears as they leave the course – speak louder than any words that follow.
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There are 43 spots available on Monday, but the number varies by site. The successful participants were joined by 19 who had already passed the first three final qualifying events held two weeks ago, and 85 who received a full exemption. (Click here for a complete list of fields so far).
Here we present a summary from each final qualifying venue and let you know who will play and who will be eliminated from the 126th U.S. Open.
Gaston Country Club Gastonia, NC — 78 players vying for 5 spots (Final Leaderboard)
The question 18-year-old amateur Jackson Ormond faced after shooting an opening 65 at North Carolina’s Gaston Country Club was whether he could handle the stress of playing his first U.S. Open this afternoon. The Rochester, N.Y., native plans to attend the University of Florida in the fall and is the No. 11 junior in the AJGA rankings, but with his father watching, it was a whole new kind of pressure.
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As it turned out, he played even better. Ormond made a clutch eagle on the par-5 seventh hole of the afternoon (third-to-last hole) and made a tricky two-putt at the end to close out with a 63 and earn co-medalist honors at 12 under.
“It’s a lifelong dream,” he said. “I’ll remember that for a long time. My dad supported me throughout my career… I can’t express how grateful I am to my entire family and everything they’ve done. Without them I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t want to be here.”
Sharing the top spot with Ormond at 12 under par were two familiar faces: China’s Carl Yuan and Houston’s Cole Hammer. Gaston CC had five spots, the last two being taken by Brandon Wu and Jackson Van Paris, who birdied the final two holes to qualify at 11 under. Their victims were Cristóbal del Solar and Harry Higgs, both of whom finished one stroke out of qualifying.
Among Gaston’s biggest names, there was little to cheer about. North Carolina native Webb Simpson couldn’t finish with an opening-round 70, Bill Haas shot an exceptional opening-round 63 but faded in the final stages, and PGA Tour stalwarts like Doc Redman, Cheson Hadley, Aaron Wise, Ryo Ishikawa and Troy Merritt all fell just short. —Shane Ryan
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Century Country Club/GC of Purchase Purchase, NY — 79 players in 4 spots (final leaderboard)
The game plan was clear for getting to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club via the USGA’s qualifying venue in Purchase, New York. Make a birdie at the short, tree-lined Purchase Golf Club, then head next door for your next round to navigate the intricate greens of Century Country Club.
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If identifying and recognizing the best players is the goal of USGA events, the yin and yang of two adjacent courses that double as two of Westchester County’s most exclusive clubs has proven to be an effective method.
Kevin Roy, Xander Schauffele’s former teammate at Long Beach State, shot a 67 to earn medalist honors at 8 under par. He was one of only two players to record under par on both courses. The other player was PGA Tour pro Max Glaserman, who shot 68-68 to finish alone in second place with 6 under.
Former world No. 1 amateur Ben James, who recently earned his PGA Tour card with PGA Tour U, and Korn Ferry Tour pro and Westchester native James Nicholas took the final two spots with a 2-under lead over LIV Golf’s Matt Jones.
But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some drama towards the end.
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Nicholas and James each bogeyed the remaining two holes of the second round at Century, but amateur Christian Cavaliere eagled the 34th hole of the day at Purchase Golf Club, briefly moving into a tie for last place and sending him into a playoff. If that had happened, he would have had to drive back to Century, where the playoffs were scheduled to be played. However, a double bogey on the 36th hole, the final hole of the day, resulted in James and Nicholas being eliminated.
Overall, the field at Century Country Club averaged nearly 3.3 strokes higher than Purchase. It stepped in to fill the role of nearby Old Oaks Country Club, which is undergoing renovations and normally hosts the final qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open. Glaserman said the purpose of the purchase was to learn “small ball” techniques. Many players only hit a few drivers during a round.
Century’s sloping greens, on the other hand, were fast and fiery. Head pro Nick Yaun said the club had not applied water to the course since severe storms hit the area late last week.
“The greens played good defense and it was a fair test. The grounds staff did a phenomenal job. There was a lot of strategic putting. We wanted to make sure the ball was in the bottom of the hole,” Yaun said. “The players were able to experience the course just like our members.”
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And who knows, maybe the lucky four could get a glimpse of what they’ll be facing at Shinnecock next week. —Luke Carr-Dineen
Lakes Golf & Country Club, Westerville, Ohio — 54 players in 4 spots (final leaderboard)
Davis Thompson was the medalist by two strokes, but all the drama was within the group of four tied for second place.
Thompson, who has fallen to 134th in the world, added a 67 in the second round and a 66 in the morning to finish at 11-under 133, qualifying for his fifth U.S. Open. The 27-year-old from St. Simons Island, Georgia, finished T-9 at Pinehurst in 2024, the only time he has competed in a championship.
Meanwhile, five-time PGA Tour winner JB Holmes, who has been limited to 23 tournaments over the past four seasons due to back pain and has not played this year, was the talk of the day. A 65 in the afternoon pushed Holmes to 9-under 135. He was joined by amateurs Vaughn Haber (Blacklick, Ohio) (67-68), Arni Sveinsson (Iceland) (67-68) and Sam Udovich (Minnesota), who bogeyed the final two holes for a 68. Harbaugh, 20, a junior at Ohio State, made a strong showing in the closing stages and is 5 under in his final five at-bats. A hole that included an eagle-birdie-birdie finish forced a 4-3 playoff.
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Holmes, 44, of Campbellsville, Kentucky, went up and down for par on the first extra hole, the par-4 10th, to grab a spot, and Haber also made par. Holmes has not played in a major since the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush. At the tournament, he shot an 87 in the final round after sharing the 36-hole lead. He qualified for his 10th U.S. Open, his best finish being 12th at the 2017 Erin Hills tournament.
The 19-year-old Udovich, a former national drive, chip and putt champion, settled for first alternate after driving into the water and three-putting for double bogey. The 20-year-old Sveinsson, 17th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, three-putted for bogey, but became the first Icelander to play in the US Open. —Dave Shedrosky
Barren Isles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens, FL — 78 players vying for 4 spots (Final Leaderboard)
The youth division was held in Palm Beach, where a pair of 17-year-olds advanced to the U.S. Open for the first time.
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Giuseppe Puebla, ranked No. 2 in the country, shared medalist honors with PGA Tour veteran Ben Silverman at 7 under par at Barren Isles Country Club (East Course). The future Florida Gators will be joined by future Florida State Seminoles in Myles Russell at Shinekook.
The top-ranked juniors had a familiar face in fellow FSU commit Charlie Woods, who overcame a triple bogey on the 18th hole of the morning round. Russell bounced back in the afternoon, hitting 67 shots and coming out of the playoffs 3-2.
“I don’t think it’s fully settled yet,” Russell told Golf Channel. “I’m really speechless. It’s something you dream about and practice for. It’s really amazing.”
Ryder Cowan, a senior at the University of Oklahoma and this season’s Haskins Trophy finalist, earned the other spot in the playoffs.
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Tyler Collette, an assistant pro at John’s Island Club in Florida, has earned the alternate spot. Collette, 30, has played in the past two PGA Championships and won the 2025 PGA Pro Championship by a record 10 strokes.
Three-time DP World Tour winner Christian Bezuidenhout finished the playoff with a one-shot lead at 5 under par. Luke Clanton finished one stroke behind, and nine-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar finished in the group at 3 under. —Alex Meyers
Springfield Country Club Springfield, Ohio — 78 players vying for 5 spots (Final Leaderboard)
Neal Shipley, who competed in the 2024 Masters and U.S. Open as a low amateur, made the most of his return to Ohio State, earning co-medalist honors with veteran tour player Zach Blair, who made his fourth appearance from Springfield. Blair, a former Ohio State University golfer and 2023 U.S. Amateur runner-up, shot a second-round 65 to finish at 8-under 132. Meanwhile, Blair shot a 68 to advance from Springfield for the fourth time in nine tries. This is the third time the 35-year-old Utah native has been a medalist or co-medalist.
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“It’s great to be able to play well, especially under pressure,” said Shipley, 25, who made just three of 13 cuts in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. “I haven’t had the best year so far, but I’m glad I was able to make some meaningful shots.”
Billy Horschel, an eight-time Tour winner and 2014 FedEx Cup champion from Florida, missed the cut at the Memorial but bounced back on Monday to match Shipley in the afternoon round with three birdies in the final five holes and finish T-3 at 133. He was joined by tour buddy Dylan Wu of Medford, Ore., who shot 67-66, and Nick Hardy of Northbrook, Ill., who missed the last six starts. He has 67 wins and 66 losses on the PGA Tour. Hardy, a medalist here as an amateur in 2016, avoided a playoff with a birdie on the penultimate hole in the second round with a 68.
Four players finished at 6 under, with 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker, who won his 10th tour title in Myrtle Beach last month, taking the first alternate spot. Another Ohio State product, Maxwell Moldovan (of Uniontown, Ohio), who has qualified from Springfield for the past four years, earned the second alternate spot over amateurs Daniel Bennett (South Africa) and Austin Grieser (near Vandalia, Ohio).
Six-time Tour champion Tony Finau, who finished fifth at Shinnecock after playing in the final draw in 2018, will miss his third consecutive major this year and the first U.S. Open since 2017. Finau, who had qualified twice, played the final nine holes in the second round with a 2-over 70 and a 5-under 135.. —Dave Shedrosky
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Woodmont Country Club Rockville, MD — 77 players in 4 spots (final leaderboard)
Jackson Suber cruised to medalist honors with rounds of 65 and 67 at Woodmont Country Club on Monday, earning him a spot in the U.S. Open at Shinnecook. This will be Suber (73rd at Pinehurst in 2024)’s second trip to the U.S. Open, and his total of 10 under was three spots ahead of his next closest rival, Ben Coles and amateur Logan Riley.
Fresh off his fifth win on the Korn Ferry Tour on Sunday, Coles will begin his career at the second U.S. Open (2024, Pinehurst T-56). Riley, a freshman at Auburn University, has similar enthusiasm, having gone 3-0 in match play at the NCAA Championships and just made the decisive putt that clinched the team title.
Jake Solon earned the final spot in a 2-1 playoff against the first alternate, amateur Brian Lee. Rising star Blaze Brown, who made one more hit in that playoff, became the second alternate. —Chris Powers
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Hawks Ridge Golf Club Ball Grounds, Georgia — 78 players in 5 slots (live leaderboard)
Notable storyline:
• Chris Kirk, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and has played in the past eight U.S. Opens. Kirk’s best U.S. Open result was a tie for 12th at last year’s championship at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. He is aiming to qualify for his fourth straight U.S. Open.
• Keith Mitchell, 34, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is aiming to qualify for his third U.S. Open and first since 2023. Mitchell’s only PGA Tour win came at the 2019 Honda Classic (now Cognizant Classic) title at PGA National Resort.
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• Brendon Todd, 40, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and is seeking his sixth U.S. Open berth. Todd last competed in the championship in 2024, when he tied for 67th place. His best US Open finish was in his 2014 debut (T-14).
• Jason Dufner, 49, of Auburn, Alabama, won the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hills Country Club and has appeared in the U.S. Open 13 times, including a top 25 at Sinek Hills in 2018. Dufner has played nine times and has two top-five finishes at the U.S. Open.
• Tommy Morrison, 21, of Dallas, Texas, is a senior at the University of Texas trying to qualify for his first U.S. Open. At 6 feet 9 inches tall, Morrison is one of the tallest players in college golf. He recently helped the Longhorns advance to match play at the NCAA Championships. He was a member of the 2025 U.S. Walker Cup championship team that posted a 2-1 match play record. He is currently ranked 18th in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Luke Colton, 18, of Frisco, Texas, is aiming to qualify for his first U.S. Open. Colton, who has signed to play at Vanderbilt University in the fall, is a member of the U.S. Junior Team. He was a semifinalist in the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur and also played on the 2025 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team.
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Lambton Golf & Country Club York, Ontario, Canada — 61 players in 6 spots (Live Leaderboard)
Notable storyline:
• Max Homa, 34, of Scottsdale, Ariz., has played in the U.S. Open seven times. His best finish was a tie for 47th in 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. He tied for 9th place at the 2026 Masters, his only top-10 finish of the season. Homa has won six titles on the PGA Tour, including the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
• Denmark’s Rasmus Hejgaard, 25, has played in the U.S. Open twice, including tying for 46th at Oakmont last year. Rasmus’ younger brother, Nikolai, is already an exempt player. They made history as the first twins to compete in the same Masters in 2025.
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• Ricky Castillo, 24, of Yorba Linda, Calif., played in his only U.S. Open as an amateur in 2020 after earning an exemption from the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Castillo won his first PGA Tour career at the Puerto Rico Open in March of this year.
• Bo Hossler, 31, of Mission Viejo, Calif., has played in the U.S. Open five times, losing three times. Hosler briefly took the lead in the second round of the 2012 U.S. Open as a 17-year-old at the Olympic Club.
• Camilo Villegas, 44, of Colombia, has five wins on the PGA Tour and has played in eight U.S. Opens, including a tie for ninth at Torrey Pines in 2008. He finished runner-up to Hunter Mahan in the 1999 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• South Africa’s Garrick Higo, 27, has two career wins on the PGA Tour and played in the U.S. Open once at Torrey Pines in 2021, but missed out. He was a semifinalist at the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur.
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Del Paso Country Club, Sacramento, CA — 78 players in 4 slots (live leaderboard)
Notable storyline:
• Kihei Akina, 20, of Alpine, Utah, recently completed his freshman season at Brigham Young University and is a member of the National Development Program’s Elite Amateur Program. Akina, who was selected to the U.S. Junior National Team in 2025, was a three-time Utah high school champion and won the 2025 Utah Open, becoming the youngest winner since 1934. He made his PGA Tour debut at the 2026 Puerto Rico Open, finishing T-16. Akina finished in the individual top 10 at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship.
• Ricky Burns, 45, of Stockton, Calif., has played in the U.S. Open six times. His best result was at Bethpage Black in 2009, when he held the lead for 54 holes of the championship before tying for second with David Duvall and Phil Mickelson. Burns is aiming to qualify for his first U.S. Open since 2010, when he finished T-27 at Pebble Beach.
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• Michael Brock, 49, of Mission Viejo, Calif., has played in the U.S. Open twice. His most recent appearance was at Sinek Hills Golf Club in 2018, but he missed the cut. Brock’s rise to stardom has been widely documented, highlighted by a T-15 finish at the 2023 PGA Championship, one of the best performances by a club professional in recent decades. Brock is a teaching professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California.
• Dean Glaserman, 22, of Boca Raton, Fla., is a senior on the Stanford University men’s golf team competing for a chance to play in his first U.S. Open. Dean, the younger brother of PGA Tour pro Max Glaserman, qualified for the final round after a regional round at Ruby Hill Golf Club, where he earned co-medalist honors. Dean is the middle child between older brother Max and youngest son Reed, and plays collegiately at Princeton University. Dean and Max both competed in the 2025 U.S. Amateur.
• Stewart Hagestad, 35, of Newport Beach, Calif., has played in the U.S. Open five times. His best finish was 64th in 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Hagestad, who works for BDT & MSD Partners, is one of the most decorated amateurs of our era, winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur three times, earning Low Amateur honors at the 2017 Masters Tournament, and representing the United States on five Walker Cup-winning teams.
• South Korea’s Kevin Na, 42, has played in the US Open 10 times. The five-time PGA Tour champion’s best U.S. Open result was a seventh-place finish at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club in 2016. Na recently retired from LIV Golf, where he was captain of Iron Heads GC. He hopes to play in his first U.S. Open since 2022.
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• Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, 48, won the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot, his only major championship win. Ogilvy has played in the U.S. Open 13 times, the last time being at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club in 2016. He has eight career wins on the PGA Tour and is the International Team Captain for the 2026 Presidents Cup.
Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, Oregon — 54 players in 2 spots (live leaderboard)
Notable storyline:
• Andrew Putnam, 37, of University Place, Washington, has played in the U.S. Open five times. His last U.S. Open appearance was in 2023, and his best finish was in 2022, when he tied for 31st at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Putnam made his U.S. Open debut at Pebble Beach in 2010, competing as an amateur after graduating from Pepperdine University.
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• Michael Putnam, 42, of University Place, Washington, is Andrew’s older brother and has played in the U.S. Open six times. The older Putnam made his U.S. Open debut at Pinehurst in 2005. His best finish was in 2017, when he tied for 35th at Erin Hills Golf Course.
