Planet Golf — 26 May 2015 by GW staff and news services
USGA lists exemptions for U.S. Open

FAR HILLS, N.J. – The United States Golf Association today announced that 25 additional golfers, including three-time USGA champion Ryan Moore, have earned full exemptions into the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, to be played June 18-21 at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wa.

These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 74.

All 25 exemptions were awarded to players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 25. Moore, who won the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links titles and has four PGA Tour victories, is ranked No. 34. Moore, who grew up near Chambers Bay in Puyallup, Wa., has played in eight previous U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for 10th in 2009 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course.

The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Byeong-Hun An, Paul Casey, George Coetzee, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Matthew Every, Tommy Fleetwood, Stephen Gallacher, Branden Grace, Charley Hoffman, J.B. Holmes, Thongchai Jaidee, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Anirban Lahiri, Marc Leishman, Shane Lowry, Joost Luiten, Ben Martin, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Marc Warren, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger and Danny Willett.

An, who won the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship, moved up 78 positions in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to No. 54 by winning the PGA European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship on May 24. Jimenez, who tied for second in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, climbed 25 spots to No. 44 in the OWGR after tying for second at the BMW PGA Championship. Molinari tied for fifth at the European Tour event and advanced eight spots in the OWGR to No. 58. The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the inclusion of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 15.

The first two sectional qualifiers for the 2015 U.S. Open were held May 25, in Japan, where five spots in the 156-player field were determined, and in Surrey, England, where 11 players qualified. Those 16 players are in addition to the 74 fully exempt players listed below.

Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 8. The sites are: Big Canyon Country Club & Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.; The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.; Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.; Old Oaks Country Club & Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio; Germantown Country Club & Ridgeway Country Club, Memphis, Tenn.; Northwood Club, Dallas, Texas; and Tumble Creek Club, Cle Elum, Wash.

The U.S. Open will be contested for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. Chambers Bay is hosting its second USGA championship, having hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur.

A list of the 74 golfers fully exempt into the 2015 U.S. Open as of May 25 (not including the 16 international sectional qualifiers) is below.

2015 U.S. Open Exemption List (as of May 25):

Byeong-Hun An 9, 13 Joost Luiten 13
Keegan Bradley 7, 11, 13 Hunter Mahan 12, 13
Angel Cabrera 1 Ben Martin 13
Paul Casey 13 Hideki Matsuyama 12, 13
Darren Clarke 6 Graeme McDowell 1, 13
George Coetzee 13 Rory McIlroy 1, 6, 7, 12, 13
Erik Compton 11 Phil Mickelson 6, 13
Jason Day 11, 12, 13 Francesco Molinari 13
Jamie Donaldson 13 Colin Montgomerie 10
Victor Dubuisson 13 Ryan Moore 13
Jason Dufner 7 Kevin Na 12, 13
Ernie Els 6 a-Bradley Neil 3
Matthew Every 13 Geoff Ogilvy 1
Tommy Fleetwood 13 Louis Oosthuizen 6, 13
Rickie Fowler 8, 11, 12, 13 Ryan Palmer 12, 13
Jim Furyk 12, 13 Ian Poulter 13
Stephen Gallacher 13 Patrick Reed 12, 13
Sergio Garcia 12, 13 Justin Rose 1, 12, 13
Lucas Glover 1 a-Oliver Schniederjans 4
Branden Grace 13 Charl Schwartzel 5, 13
Bill Haas 12, 13 Adam Scott 5, 11, 12, 13
Russell Henley 12, 13 John Senden 12, 13
Charley Hoffman 13 Webb Simpson 1, 12, 13
Morgan Hoffmann 12 Brandt Snedeker 11, 13
J.B. Holmes 13 Jordan Spieth 5, 12, 13
Billy Horschel 12, 13 Henrik Stenson 11, 13
Thongchai Jaidee 13 Brendon Todd 12, 13
Miguel Angel Jimenez 13 Cameron Tringale 12
Dustin Johnson 11, 13 Jimmy Walker 11, 12, 13
Zach Johnson 12, 13 Marc Warren 13
Martin Kaymer 1, 7, 8, 11, 12, ,13 Bubba Watson 5, 12, 13
Chris Kirk 12, 13 Lee Westwood 13
Brooks Koepka 11, 13 Bernd Wiesberger 13
Matt Kuchar 12, 13 Danny Willett 13
Anirban Lahiri 13 Gary Woodland 12, 13
Marc Leishman 13 Tiger Woods 1, 8
Shane Lowry 13 a-Gunn Yang 2

Bold – U.S. Open champion      a-amateur

Key to Player Exemptions

  1. Winners of the U.S. Open Championship the last 10 years (2005-14)
  2. Winner and runner-up of the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
  3. Winner of the 2014 British Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
  4. Winner of the 2014 Mark H. McCormack Medal (top-ranked in WAGR & must be an amateur)
  5. Winners of the Masters Tournament the last five years (2011-15)
  6. Winners of the British Open Championship the last five years (2010-14)
  7. Winners of The PGA of America Championship the last five years (2010-14)
  8. Winners of The Players Championship the last three years (2013-15)
  9. Winner of the 2015 PGA European Tour BMW PGA Championship
  10. Winner of the 2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship
  11. From the 2014 U.S. Open Championship, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place
  12. Those players who qualified for the season-ending 2014 Tour Championship
  13. Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of May 25, 2015
  14. Top 60 point leaders and ties from the World Ranking, as of June 15, 2015
  15. Special exemptions selected by the USGA

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