Jimenez headlines group of 25 that qualified
25 additional players punched their tickets to the upcoming U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, receiving exemptions via being in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings as of May 26. Miguel Angel Jimenez, who finished tied for runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open, headlines the group — he’s ranked No. 27 in the world, thanks to his fine play as of late.
The other players who earned exemptions through the current OWGR include Thomas Bjorn, Jonas Blixt, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Harris English, Matt Every, Stephen Gallacher, Russell Henley, Thongchai Jaidee, Matt Jones, Chris Kirk, Pablo Larrazabal, Joost Luiten, Francesco Molinari, Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, John Senden, Kevin Stadler, Richard Sterne, Brendon Todd, Jimmy Walker and Lee Westwood.
Todd surged six positions in the rankings to No. 57 by tying for fifth in last week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational. Meanwhile, Larrazabal moved up seven spots to No. 59 after finishing tied for seventh in the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship last weekend.
The number of fully exempt golfers for the U.S. Open is currently at 75, but it may increase with the inclusion of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 9.
Since Tiger Woods is unlikely to play this year, his absence will likely open up an additional spot. The USGA reserves spots for previous five winners of the Masters, British Open and PGA Championship, and the 10 previous winners of the U.S. Open.
Meanwhile, the first two sectional qualifiers for the 2014 U.S. Open were held May 26, in Japan, where six spots in the 156-player field were determined, and in Surrey, England, where 14 players qualified.
Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 2. The sites are: Lake Merced Golf Club & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), Daly City, Calif.; Quail Valley Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.; Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), Roswell, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North & South Courses), Rockville, Md.; Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio; Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, Ore.; Colonial Country Club (North & South Courses), Memphis, Tenn., and Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas.
As always, I’ll be covering the Columbus qualifier.
| 2014 U.S. Open Exemption List (as of May 26): | ||||||
| Thomas Bjorn | 13 | Pablo Larrazabal | 13 | |||
| Jonas Blixt | 13 | Joost Luiten | 13 | |||
| Keegan Bradley | 7, 12, 13 | Hunter Mahan | 11, 12, 13 | |||
| Angel Cabrera | 1 | Hideki Matsuyama | 11, 13 | |||
| Roberto Castro | 12 | Graeme McDowell | 1, 13 | |||
| Stewart Cink | 6 | Rory McIlroy | 1, 7, 9, 13 | |||
| Darren Clarke | 6 | Phil Mickelson | 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 | |||
| Nicolas Colsaerts | 11 | Francesco Molinari | 13 | |||
| Jason Day | 11, 12, 13 | Ryan Moore | 13 | |||
| Brendon de Jonge | 12 | Geoff Ogilvy | 1 | |||
| Graham DeLaet | 12, 13 | Louis Oosthuizen | 6, 13 | |||
| Luke Donald | 11, 12, 13 | Ryan Palmer | 13 | |||
| Jamie Donaldson | 13 | Kenny Perry | 10 | |||
| Victor Dubuisson | 13 | D.A. Points | 12 | |||
| Jason Dufner | 7, 11, 12, 13 | Ian Poulter | 13 | |||
| Ernie Els | 6, 11, 13 | Patrick Reed | 13 | |||
| Harris English | 13 | Justin Rose | 1, 11, 12, 13 | |||
| Matthew Every | 13 | Charl Schwartzel | 5, 12, 13 | |||
| Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño | 11, 13 | Adam Scott | 5, 12, 13 | |||
| a-Matthew Fitzpatrick | 2, 4 | John Senden | 13 | |||
| Rickie Fowler | 11, 13 | Webb Simpson | 1, 12, 13 | |||
| Jim Furyk | 12, 13 | Brandt Snedeker | 12, 13 | |||
| Stephen Gallacher | 13 | Jordan Spieth | 12, 13 | |||
| Sergio Garcia | 12, 13 | Kevin Stadler | 13 | |||
| Lucas Glover | 1 | Henrik Stenson | 12, 13 | |||
| Retief Goosen | 1 | Richard Sterne | 13 | |||
| a-Oliver Goss | 2 | Kevin Streelman | 12, 13 | |||
| Bill Haas | 12, 13 | Steve Stricker | 11, 12, 13 | |||
| Russell Henley | 13 | Brendon Todd | 13 | |||
| Billy Horschel | 11, 12, 13 | Jimmy Walker | 13 | |||
| Thongchai Jaidee | 13 | Nick Watney | 12, 13 | |||
| Miguel Angel Jimenez | 13 | Bubba Watson | 5, 13 | |||
| Dustin Johnson | 12, 13 | Boo Weekley | 12 | |||
| Zach Johnson | 12, 13 | Lee Westwood | 13 | |||
| Matt Jones | 13 | Gary Woodland | 12, 13 | |||
| Martin Kaymer | 7, 8, 13 | Tiger Woods | 1, 8, 12, 13 | |||
| Chris Kirk | 13 | Y.E. Yang | 7 | |||
| Matt Kuchar | 8, 12, 13 | |||||
| Bold – U.S. Open champion | a-amateur | |||||
Key to Player Exemptions
- Winners of the U.S. Open Championship the last 10 years (2004-13)
- Winner and runner-up of the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
- Winner of the 2013 British Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
- Winner of the 2013 Mark H. McCormack Medal (top-ranked in WAGR & must be an amateur)
- Winners of the Masters Tournament the last five years (2010-14)
- Winners of the British Open Championship the last five years (2009-13)
- Winners of the PGA of America Championship the last five years (2009-13)
- Winners of the Players Championship the last three years (2012-14)
- Winner of the 2014 European Tour BMW PGA Championship
- Winner of the 2013 U.S. Senior Open Championship
- From the 2013 U.S. Open Championship, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place
- Those players who qualified for the season-ending 2013 Tour Championship
- Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of May 26, 2014
- Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of June 9, 2014
- Special exemptions selected by the USGA
