US Open will not be Open this year (NO POLITICS OR COVID-19 POSTS)

[Darth Putter]

USGA canceling U.S. Open qualifying, four of its championships

The US Open will not have Local or Sectional Qualifying this year. It will be an all exempt tournament. Details on exemptions will be determined later such as spaces for amateurs.

The only four USGA events not cancelled for this year are the Men's and Women's Opens and Men's and Women's Amateurs. Like the US Open, the other three will not have qualifying.

 

Qualifiers took up about 70 spots in the 2019 US Open. They took up 75% of the spots in the Amateur.

 

[canonlbp430]

I would assume the Am and possibly US Open will expand exemptions this year?

[Darth Putter]

It will be all exemptions.

 

They might reserve 15 spots for amateurs for instance.

 

What will be interesting is what they do about pros that are not PGA Tour winners in 2019-20 and not in the OWGR Top 100.

 

It also means that Phil Mickelson more likely than not will be in the US Open without having to qualify.

[canonlbp430]

Not to answer my own question but looks like they will release expanded exemptions in next few weeks.

[15th Club]

Where can we sign up for the Tuesday cocktail party, or the Wednesday pro-am?

[MG22]

And in nine short months after Winged Foot, the US Open will go back to being played as it always has, qualifying included. Nothing in 2020 is as we know it. Good for golf for moving forward given limited options.

[capking]

Phil’s 61st right now

[tiderider]

good decision, imo ...

[15th Club]

Here’s how you do it... Statement from The R&A | The Open in 2020 to be Cancelled

[Island Boy]

I just want to put it on the record they held 27 U.S. Opens before introducing any form of qualifying in 1924. Local Qualifying was not added until the '50s. It's awful that the Open can't be played with any form of qualifying but it's clear there were too many moving parts to overcome including:

1.) States all having different restrictions on what's allowed for golf especially when dealing with how courses treat holes. While you can post scores with the hole raised or foam insert, the governing bodies still don't consider these legal and a ball wasn't considered holed.

2.) Having to reschedule qualifiers for later in the summer. Clubs are desperate for revenue making events as the season pushes later and later. Rescheduling a USGA qualifier which makes the club very little would be tough. That's not including clubs not allowing outside events for the rest of the season. This is a very real problem that state/local associations are facing with their tournament schedules.

The light at the end of the tunnel is this is a (hopefully) one year only exception and we are back to normal for the 2021 Open. There's no easy answer here, while recreational golf is permitted, organizing and running competitions is a whole different ball game as it stands.

[grm24]

U.S. Open to cancel qualifying, have all-exempt field; 4 more USGA events nixedSo how will the field for Winged Foot be determined? “We will endeavor to create categories of exemption that will as best as possible be reminiscent of what qualifying would produce,” Bodenhameer explained. “It won’t be perfect. It’ll look pretty close when we get to the end.”That process will include crunching data on how many PGA Tour players usually compete in an Open, plus how many from the European and Korn Ferry tours and other global circuits. And amateurs too. “We know it’s about 15 amateurs on average over the last five years,” Bodenhamer added. “We’re going to look at that as we carve out what those exemptions are. We also have a smaller field, so that’s a consideration.”The U.S. Open field was reduced from 156 to 144 when the move to September was announced, to accommodate the reduced daylight.Traditionally, the top 60 players in the official world golf ranking are exempt into the Open, but don’t expect something as simple as raising that number to the top 75 or 100, Bodenhamer cautioned. “We’re going to be much more nuanced than that,” he said. “We’re going to be looking at what a U.S. Open field has looked like.”Phil Mickelson currently stands 61st in the world ranking, and if he doesn’t climb would need a special exemption into the major in which he has finished second a record six times, including at Winged Foot in 2006. Mickelson said earlier this year that he would decline any special invitation from the USGA, though that was when he expected to have ample opportunities to play his way into the field. Bodenhamer said those special invitations will still be part of the criteria for ’20: “We do have a process we go through to look at potential special exemptions we would extend, and we anticipate doing that again this year.”

[jsnoland]

It's the right decision. We'll hopefully get back to something resembling normal next year, but for now there are too many moving pieces to try and move forward as though nothing had changed. As much as it makes me cringe to say it....good for the USGA.

[Smada962]

No way. This is way better than no US Open at all. People just like to find any reason to cry about the USGA. They are doing the best they can with what's going on in the world right now, and I will still be very excited to watch it.

[King_Slender]

I've seen some golf writers lamenting this, but let's be honest, the fairy tale of "anyone could qualify and win" is simply that - a fairy tale.

Maybe, just maybe, once every 20 years (I can't even find a list) you might get a somewhat off the radar guy who qualifies - shoots 90 and is home of the weekend. For the most part the guys who are qualifying are former Tour players without status or guys from foreign pro tours. The idea of the "hot shot club champion" who has a +1 index qualifying never really existed - it just doesn't happen.

We aren't missing out on anything other than a bunch of wannabe's witting around the club being able to say "Oh yeah, I have my US Open qualifier next weekend..."

[Sean2]

True, but it's called "Open" for a reason.

People are playing golf in all 50 states, I am not quite sure why US Open qualifiers are different. Run the qualifiers like any other golf course is run these days. For example, as soon as a player is finished, he immediately leaves the premises and will be sent an email showing the results.

[15th Club]

I have been perhaps the most regular, ardent, determined supporter of the USGA on this forum.

[tiderider]

this is true ... and it's not close ...

[Island Boy]

The term Open refers to it being a competition Pros and Ams both compete it in. It has absolutely nothing to do with how players earn entry into the event.

The state and regional associations responsible to conduct these qualifiers all have their own restrictions to overcome in the upcoming months to be able to operate and conduct tournaments. There is still not a clear gameplan on how to safely conduct qualifiers that can be applied to all 50 states, which would be necessary to conduct USGA qualifiers. Can't have different rules being played in different states when they're all supposed to be part of the same Championships.

[Smada962]

I'm not saying you aren't, but saying the R&A got it right by cancelling I do not agree with. This alternative is MUCH better than cancelling all together IMO.

[Darth Putter]

This will be the first year without qualifying since 1924.

 

Currently 50 of the 144 spots (reduced from 156 due to daylight issues) are spoken for.

 

What will some of the new exemptions be?

On the amateur side, the US Amateur will be played before the US Open. It would be a good guess that they might take the top 4 or 8 finishers. Andy Ogletree the 2019 US Amateur Champion will need to keep his amateur status if he wants to play in The 2020 Masters. He most likely will decide to defend his title. There is a new rule this year, so if he does decide to turn pro he will keep his spot in the US Open.

 

On the pro side, the US Open will take place after the PGA Championship and FedEX Cup. The PGA winner will be in, but they might take a few spots down as well. The 30 pros that make the Tour Championship normally are exempt into all four majors the following year. The USGA could say that the top 30 of the FedEX Cup Race in 2020 qualify for the 2020 AND 2021 US Opens. The USGA Could also opt to take all PGA Tour winners from the 2019-2020 season instead of just multiple winners. On the international side, if the Ryder Cup is played the following week, expect any player named to the Ryder Cup teams to also have a spot in the US Open.

 

Once they figure out those spots then we'll see how far down the OWGR they decide to go.

 

Or, if they're really feeling democratic, put hundreds of names in a hat and go with a blind draw for the last spots.

[Ignatius Reilly]

The US is holding their Open under some new conditions.

But at least they are doing it.

Perhaps you meant to say "Here's how you don't do it"?

[Darth Putter]

To be fair to the R&A, they did have an insurance policy.

[cardoustie]

Good on the USGA .... for once. Finding a way to have the event with some modifications is the way to go, it won't be perfect but it's a shot

I wish the R&A would reconsider. An early December Open at St Andrew's would be riveting, separate the men from the boys

 

 

[Darth Putter]

Sunrise at 8:30, Sunset at 3:30

 

Might need a shotgun start

[Darth Putter]

Interesting to note the FOX NFL schedule for that week. FOX will have 1:00 EDT games so the final round would start on FS1 and finish on FOX after 4:00 is my guess.

 

Those of you in the DC area and Arizona would not get the US Open on FOX at all with their 4:00 start.

[JohnnyCashForever]

A December Open at St. Andrews? Points for thinking outside the box, but I think a December Open at Royal Melbourne would be more like it. Just think, finally an Open where spectators eating ice cream would actually be appropriate.

[gators78]

I can't stand the USGA, but I'm fine with this. I'll take a modified US Open vs no Open.

[Nard_S]

I've had Sunday tickets, hope there's a chance I get to use them.

[Body_Visions]

Then they should call it the Hale American Open, and the winner never gets recognized as a major champion. Just give him the medal.

[bscinstnct]

Who are qualifiers who have won?

 

Have there been some?

 

Not to say this isnt highly unusual ; )