USGA Announces 27 Additional Players Exempt For 121st U.S. Open Championship

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Category: Inside Golf

Published: 2021-05-27

LIBERTY CORNER, New Jersey — The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced that 27 additional golfers, including major champions Adam Scott and Bubba Watson, have earned full exemptions into the 2021 U.S. Open Championship, to be played June 17-20 on the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course, in San Diego, Calif. These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 76.

Exemptions were awarded to 24 players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking® (OWGR) as of May 24, who were not otherwise exempt. Scott, who will compete in his 20th U.S. Open, won the 2013 Masters Tournament. He is ranked No. 39. Watson, who won the 2012 and 2014 Masters, is ranked No. 58. It will be Watson’s 15th U.S. Open. Brian Harman and Tommy Fleetwood, who were U.S. Open runners-up in 2017 and 2018, respectively, also earned entry through the OWGR. Fleetwood is No. 31 and Harman is No. 49.

The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Paul Casey, Corey Conners, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley, Garrick Higgo, Max Homa, Matt Jones, Si Woo Kim, Jason Kokrak, Matt Kuchar, K.H. Lee, Robert MacIntyre, Carlos Ortiz, Victor Perez, Kevin Streelman, Matt Wallace and Lee Westwood. Kuchar (1997) and Fitzpatrick (2013) are past U.S. Amateur champions.

At No. 15, Cantlay is the highest-ranked player in the current OWGR who was not previously exempt into the U.S. Open. He will play in his sixth U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson, who on May 14 accepted a special exemption from the USGA into this year’s U.S. Open, moved up 83 spots from his previous world ranking to No. 32 by winning the PGA Championship for his sixth professional major. Mickelson, a six-time U.S. Open runner-up, will be competing in his 30th U.S. Open and is now exempt through 2025.

Three other players earned exemptions based on their performances on other professional tours. Wade Ormsby was the top finisher on the 2020 Asian Tour Final Order of Merit. Brad Kennedy earned his spot as the top finisher on the 2020 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Final Order of Merit. Wilco Nienaber is currently the leading player on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.

In addition, the top 10 aggregate point earners, who are otherwise not exempt, in the three-event U.S. Open 2021 European Tour Qualifying Series (May 15-June 6) will earn places in the U.S. Open. Any multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship will also earn an exemption. The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the addition of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 7.

Final qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at nine additional sites on June 7. The sites are: Rolling Hills Country Club, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.; The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.; Piedmont Driving Club, Atlanta, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.; Century Country Club & Old Oaks Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & The Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield (Ohio) Country Club; Long Cove Club, Hilton Head Island, S.C.; and Meadow Springs Country Club, Richland, Wash.

The South Course at Torrey Pines is hosting its second U.S. Open. One of the most dramatic U.S. Opens was contested there in 2008 when Tiger Woods outdueled Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff to win his third U.S. Open and record-tying ninth USGA championship. Woods made par on the first extra hole after the two were tied following an 18-hole playoff. Woods had forced the playoff by making a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

A list of the 76 golfers fully exempt into the 2021 U.S. Open as of May 24 (not including the final qualifiers from Texas and Japan) is below. It can also be found at this link: http://www.usopen.com/qualifying/exemptions.html.

More information about the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course, including local and final qualifying, is available at usopen.com.

The list of the 76 golfers who are fully exempt into the 2021 U.S. Open (as of Monday, May 24):

Bold – U.S. Open champion      a-amateur

Key to Player Exemptions:

1. Winners of the U.S. Open Championship the last 10 years (2011-20)
2. From the 2020 U.S. Open Championship, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place
3. Winner of the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship
4. Runner-up of the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
5. Winners of the Masters Tournament (2017-21)
6. Winners of the PGA Championship (2016-21)
7. Winners of The Open Championship, conducted by The R&A (2016-19)
8. Winners of the Players Championship (2019 and 2021)
9. Winner of the 2020 European Tour BMW PGA Championship
10. Those players who qualified for the season-ending 2020 Tour Championship
11. Multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup, from the conclusion of the originally scheduled 2020 U.S. Open to the 2021 U.S. Open
12. From the three-event U.S. Open 2021 European Tour Qualifying Series (Betfred British Masters, Made in HimmerLand Championship, Porsche European Open), the top 10 aggregate point earners who are not otherwise exempt
13. Winner of the 2020 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A (must be an amateur)
14. Winner of the 2020 Mark H. McCormack Medal (top-ranked in WAGR & must be an amateur)
15. Top 60 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 24, 2021
16. Top 60 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking as of June 7, 2021
17. From the 2020 Asian Tour Final Order of Merit, the top finisher who is not otherwise exempt as of May 24
18. From the 2020 ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Final Order of Merit, the top finisher who is not otherwise exempt as of May 24
19. From the current Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, the leading player who is not otherwise exempt as of May 24
20. Special exemptions selected by the USGA

About the U.S. Open
The U.S. Open is one of 14 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. Since 1895, the world’s top players have been identified in the most challenging major played on America’s greatest courses. Open to all, the U.S. Open annually provides thousands of golfers of all backgrounds the opportunity to qualify through a rigorous two-stage process. Ultimately From Many, One will triumph and be crowned champion. Past champions of the U.S. Open include Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.

In September 2020, Bryson DeChambeau shot a final-round 67 at Winged Foot Golf Club to capture the championship’s 120th edition.

Generating upwards of $165 million in revenue annually, the U.S. Open drives nearly 75 percent of the USGA’s revenue and directly impacts the work we do to support millions of golfers who enjoy the game.

About the USGA
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.

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