Good Luck to Everyone at US Open Qualifying

[agatha]

Recently, the course I play most hosted a mini-tour event and then high school CIF qualifying tournaments. I was just there practicing, but both times, I just looked at these guys and you could see in their faces the hopes, the dreams - it was awesome for me to watch.

 

Then I think about you guys playing in the US Open qualifiers. Some make it (wow!) but most don't. Still, I have that same sense about it... I am so excited by this whole aspect of golf, that guys/gals can compete on all these different levels, all the way up to a chance to play in the US Open. It's a great thing. In a very real way, I watched a few groups in these two events I mentioned with more enthusiasm than watching a tour event. It just seemed so... raw, real, earnest, and flat out incredible.

 

I really hope you guys good enough to even be able to try really enjoy the whole scene. I wish, I really do wish, I were good enough to enter it. I'd probably do Tarzan calls after each tee ball.

 

 

What course? Appears in California due to the CIF..

[Obee]

I'm not doing U.S. Open qualifying, but I am doing U.S. Senior Open, and U.S. Am. :-)

 

Good luck to you all!!

[wmblake2000]

Recently, the course I play most hosted a mini-tour event and then high school CIF qualifying tournaments. I was just there practicing, but both times, I just looked at these guys and you could see in their faces the hopes, the dreams - it was awesome for me to watch.

 

Then I think about you guys playing in the US Open qualifiers. Some make it (wow!) but most don't. Still, I have that same sense about it... I am so excited by this whole aspect of golf, that guys/gals can compete on all these different levels, all the way up to a chance to play in the US Open. It's a great thing. In a very real way, I watched a few groups in these two events I mentioned with more enthusiasm than watching a tour event. It just seemed so... raw, real, earnest, and flat out incredible.

 

I really hope you guys good enough to even be able to try really enjoy the whole scene. I wish, I really do wish, I were good enough to enter it. I'd probably do Tarzan calls after each tee ball.

 

 

What course? Appears in California due to the CIF..

 

Skylinks... also they were at El Dorado in earlier stages. (In Long Beach)

[agatha]

Oh nice, my son is going to play Long Beach open there in July..

[Teekman]

Recently, the course I play most hosted a mini-tour event and then high school CIF qualifying tournaments. I was just there practicing, but both times, I just looked at these guys and you could see in their faces the hopes, the dreams - it was awesome for me to watch.

 

Then I think about you guys playing in the US Open qualifiers. Some make it (wow!) but most don't. Still, I have that same sense about it... I am so excited by this whole aspect of golf, that guys/gals can compete on all these different levels, all the way up to a chance to play in the US Open. It's a great thing. In a very real way, I watched a few groups in these two events I mentioned with more enthusiasm than watching a tour event. It just seemed so... raw, real, earnest, and flat out incredible.

 

I really hope you guys good enough to even be able to try really enjoy the whole scene. I wish, I really do wish, I were good enough to enter it. I'd probably do Tarzan calls after each tee ball.

 

Then you got crazy people like me who didn't play Golf Growing up and decided to stop the sport he played DI at UT ... And try to give Golf a go. The funny part is I'm dissapointed I didn't make it to Sectionals ... God I'm delusional even though it's only my 2nd year playing haha.

[Obee]

So you started two years ago, and you are scratch or below already?

[youraway2]

Amateurs are required an Handicap Index of 1.4 or less, Professionals don't have this requirement. At our Qualifying site, scores above 93, one even 114, was by professionals. I have never understood why entry qualifications are more strict for amateurs then professionals. Yes, they'll get a letter from the USGA, but that's after they destroyed the focus of their playing partners and caused the entire field to back up.

[McCann1]

Amateurs are required an Handicap Index of 1.4 or less, Professionals don't have this requirement. At our Qualifying site, scores above 93, one even 114, was by professionals. I have never understood why entry qualifications are more strict for amateurs then professionals. Yes, they'll get a letter from the USGA, but that's after they destroyed the focus of their playing partners and caused the entire field to back up.

most pros don’t keep a handicap so how would you have a requirement for something we don’t even keep track of? The letter takes care of them

[youraway2]

Amateurs are required an Handicap Index of 1.4 or less, Professionals don't have this requirement. At our Qualifying site, scores above 93, one even 114, was by professionals. I have never understood why entry qualifications are more strict for amateurs then professionals. Yes, they'll get a letter from the USGA, but that's after they destroyed the focus of their playing partners and caused the entire field to back up.

most pros don't keep a handicap so how would you have a requirement for something we don't even keep track of? The letter takes care of them

Yes it does "after the fact", but in the meantime many have ruined rounds for others who have their playing ability proven by their Handicap Index. For a professional to score 114 tells me he did not have the playing ability to compete and should have never signed up. If professionals, not tour players, or web.com tour players, but those who claim to be professionals meet the same requirements, I believe rounds such as this will become less. For three years now we've dealt with professionals who can't break 90, providing a challenge to others which are trying to focus, play their best, and then challenged to keep up. Last year one made a 12 on the first hole, shot over 60 on the front before he finally decided to hang it up on 10 after numerous complaints.

[McCann1]

Amateurs are required an Handicap Index of 1.4 or less, Professionals don't have this requirement. At our Qualifying site, scores above 93, one even 114, was by professionals. I have never understood why entry qualifications are more strict for amateurs then professionals. Yes, they'll get a letter from the USGA, but that's after they destroyed the focus of their playing partners and caused the entire field to back up.

most pros don't keep a handicap so how would you have a requirement for something we don't even keep track of? The letter takes care of them

Yes it does "after the fact", but in the meantime many have ruined rounds for others who have their playing ability proven by their Handicap Index. For a professional to score 114 tells me he did not have the playing ability to compete and should have never signed up. If professionals, not tour players, or web.com tour players, but those who claim to be professionals meet the same requirements, I believe rounds such as this will become less. For three years now we've dealt with professionals who can't break 90, providing a challenge to others which are trying to focus, play their best, and then challenged to keep up. Last year one made a 12 on the first hole, shot over 60 on the front before he finally decided to hang it up on 10 after numerous complaints.

I suppose being the most democratic event in golf has its pros and cons.

[MoneyPlayer33]

I am going to need more than luck . Between. The bad weather up here and being short staffed at work i have 3 rounds in going into mondays Qualifying. Should be interesting Lol

 

Good luck to everyone

[wmblake2000]

Oh nice, my son is going to play Long Beach open there in July..

 

I have several friends who play Long Beach Open every year. Very competitive tournament. I often go and follow some of the play.

[rangersgoalie]

If the guy playing badly enough to receive a letter puts a playing partner off enough to play badly, he isn't making the US Open anyway

[NPVWhiz]

Amateurs are required an Handicap Index of 1.4 or less, Professionals don't have this requirement. At our Qualifying site, scores above 93, one even 114, was by professionals. I have never understood why entry qualifications are more strict for amateurs then professionals. Yes, they'll get a letter from the USGA, but that's after they destroyed the focus of their playing partners and caused the entire field to back up.

most pros don't keep a handicap so how would you have a requirement for something we don't even keep track of? The letter takes care of them

Yes it does "after the fact", but in the meantime many have ruined rounds for others who have their playing ability proven by their Handicap Index. For a professional to score 114 tells me he did not have the playing ability to compete and should have never signed up. If professionals, not tour players, or web.com tour players, but those who claim to be professionals meet the same requirements, I believe rounds such as this will become less. For three years now we've dealt with professionals who can't break 90, providing a challenge to others which are trying to focus, play their best, and then challenged to keep up. Last year one made a 12 on the first hole, shot over 60 on the front before he finally decided to hang it up on 10 after numerous complaints.

I suppose being the most democratic event in golf has its pros and cons.

 

Yes, it is a paragon of opportunity, but even then it's not designed to be open to anyone who can fill out the application. If you've ever watched this up close, you can understand the issues it causes. Some of the players who will arrive at Mak tomorrow will be in a group of players that have worked hard to make their entry legitimate. There are other players, amateur and pro, whose entry into US Open local qualifying is illegitimate. They don't have the playing skills to meet the requirements, and their antics on the course have an effect on the other players in their group that do have an outside but legitimate chance of moving on to Sectionals.

 

The USGA could cure this problem with a pre-qualifier for the professionals that don't have the playing record to support their entry. Let's be honest. These fellows aren't professionals. They are, for the most part, uninstitutionalized delusionals that are willing to suffer the indignities associated with shooting 92 with a few people watching so as to be able to spend the rest of the next year toting their staff bag around to golf courses as a single and regaling their hapless paired up partners with their tales of playing in US Open qualifying. Alas, I have had to suffer through 18 holes with one of these types, and it is a task without measure.

 

But the truth of it is that here in Cincinnati we have I believe the largest field of potential qualifiers. Maybe 165 for 11-14 spots depending on how they allocate. I'm not sure I understand why, but I suspect that a good portion of our field is made up of local players that are the core, legitimate players in our local city am, mid-am and senior tourneys, along with the college players and a handful of local assistants and pros that have the game for it. Years ago when I was paying more attention, Mak seemed to get quite a number of the legit journeyman pros because of the number of spots available, but it seems less so these days based on a quick gander at the pairings/hometowns. Some of these locals will acquit themselves admirably. I know we have many in the past that have made it to Sectionals. Others will suffer a few minor implosions. Some will bust the card and shoot in the 80s. But there are a bunch of them that will work their way around Makatewah for the umpteenth time in the high 70s and it will have been a fun day of competitive golf. I don't care what anyone says. If you can shoot in the 70s in the heat of local Open qualifying, you've got game.

 

But it is also true that some players with legitimate handicaps and playing records will also come undone in this type of event, the point being that I'm not sure if it matters to the other players in your group if you're a legitimate entry or not. The effect and impact is the same one way or the other, although I suppose that if players in the group know you and you're having one of those days then it might be more tolerable for everyone. But I don't suspect the pairings work out that way, so there will be the usual train wrecks tomorrow that inflict collateral damage on other players' chances. And it's been that way for a long time I suspect. Either it's just too hard for the USGA and local GA to police, or they have just come to accept it as a part of the spectacle.

 

But if I could go out there and play alone as the last group tomorrow, I would. Big number be d@mned. But I would never want to impact another player's chance to move on, aside from the act of simply playing better than they did...

[agatha]

I would guess its the USGA not being able to regulate the number of entries. They said to our group on first tee that they had 9,400 entires this year and out of those 500 will advance to sectionals. You are always going to have guys who shouldn't be there competing. It is unfortunate for the ones who should, but I also think its important for them to be able to handle it. Other than looking excessively for lost balls or keeping track of high numbers it really shouldn't affect the individual at that level. Of course playing with better players is always easier for a number of reasons. We had a 16 year old kid in front of us who was there for the "experience" he has no chance, the other two players in his group also played poorly. I always watch from in front so I could tell early on that none of them had a chance. My son had pretty good players in his pairing they just didn't have their A game that day and both missed by 8 or so shots each. I think the other reason people who should not be playing chose to do so is for access to some of the courses they choose. It isn't too expensive so its an opportunity to get 2 rounds in on a course that otherwise may be too expensive.

[McCann1]

yes I have seen this up close and I know what it’s like. But if a playing partner ever caused me so much trouble that I couldn’t shoot a few under then that’ll be the day I quit competitive golf.

 

Also, the pros you are bashing may not have an option to be a pro or not. I know plenty of club pros that love the game of golf and are not good players, but according to the rules thy are pros. It is not hard to pass the PAT. Like Ranger said, if you can’t get past locals because one bad round from your playing partner then you probably couldn’t handle the mental stresses of qualifying past sectionals anyway.

 

And as an aside shooting 70’s in a one day local qualifier on a course that isn’t set up tough is better than most players for sure, but I wouldn’t equate it to having game. At least having enough game to play against highly skilled players at sectionals for 36 holes should something in the 70’s actually get you through locals in the first place. I suspect after all these years there would’ve been changes made if it was truly impacting somebody’s chances at getting in the Open anyway

[MoneyPlayer33]

 

Shot 3 over missed a playoff by 4 shots .

 

Have to b honest i scored better than i played .

Only missedd 1 putt inside 8 feet all day . ( naturally it was in 18 lol)

 

Only my fourth round of the year and it showed . Alot of poor irons shots and chips. Driver and putter were solod

[North Texas]

Not good enough to play in these things but, man, I really love these kind of threads and hearing from guys on here. Always fun to read.

 

My home course did host a qualifier last week and it was fun to go out and watch these/you guys play. Grant Hirschman, currently playing for OU, fired a little 64 with 9 birdies! One of our members missed the playoff by one and our assistant pro shot 1 over. Took 4 under to make it.

 

Anyone on here playing in the qualifier at Pasatiempo?

[North Texas]

Played today at a course that is hosting a local qualifier Thursday, that's as close as I'll ever get. :)

 

My home course in Colorado hosts the local qualifying and have done so for the past 12-15 years and will do so again next week. I get to play that course 20-30 rounds a year, just not on US Open qualifying days. LOL :D

 

Commonground?

[RobotDoctor]

US Open Qualifying at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins, CO is now under way. After a few days of rain and drizzle the skies are sunny. However, greens are soft so scoring should be in the mid 60s to qualify. I may venture out there to watch some of the action.

[spartan6910]

Had my qualifier yesterday. Let's just say I'm real excited to try again next year. For my first real competitive round in over 10 years, I thought I did alright. Came unraveled a bit on the back. What a learning experience. Good luck to everyone who has their qualifiers upcoming.

[cfreeman8]

Missed it by a shot yesterday. I shot a 2-over 72, after being +5 after 5 holes. It hurts to only miss by a shot (missed sectionals by a combined 6 shots in the last 4 years!), but I’m proud of how I grinded it back after an awful start. I’m traveling for tournaments in 4 of the next 5 weeks, so hopefully we can find a little momentum and play well the rest of the season.

[North Texas]

Was really interested to see the scores from the Pasatiempo qualifier. Course played 6521 yards and only 8 players, out of 80+, shot even par or better. Low score was -5 and next was -3. Took 1 under to advance at this great Alister Mackenzie course.

 

Would love to hear from anyone who was there.

[Aaronwilson_95]

Profusely apolgized to my group on the 17th hole off mine where I hit a fairway bunker shot OB unknowingly and had to return and replay the shot after dropping in the bunker . Made a triple bogey 8. Was 2 over through 16. However both of my playing partners were on the cut line so I tried to stay out off there way while making my triple. Fortunately one got through his playoff and the other is first alternate.

[Teekman]

So you started two years ago, and you are scratch or below already?

 

I played D1 Tennis at UT so I'd consider myself way more athletic than 99% of the people out there. Unfortunately I can't hit a driver to save my life.

[Obee]

So you started two years ago, and you are scratch or below already?

 

I played D1 Tennis at UT so I'd consider myself way more athletic than 99% of the people out there. Unfortunately I can't hit a driver to save my life.

 

Nice. I played college baseball for a nationally-ranked team Division II team and started as freshman. Took me two to three years to get to scratch as well, but in the beginning, I was not a very good scratch, and certainly not "tournament ready" at that time! LOL!