12 Champions Exempt For 122nd U.S. Open In Brookline

BROOKLINE, MA — The United States Golf Association (USGA) has accepted a total of 9,265 entries, including 12 champions, for the 122nd U.S. Open Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, which will be held at the club for the fourth time on June 16 to 19.

More than 9,000 U.S. Open entries were accepted for the 10th consecutive time and the 13th time overall. The USGA accepted entries for the 2022 U.S. Open from golfers in 50 states, including 282 from host state Massachusetts, as well as the District of Columbia and 79 foreign countries.

“The USGA appreciates the continued worldwide interest in competing in the U.S. Open and we are pleased to offer thousands of golfers an opportunity to follow their dream of playing in a major championship,” John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer for the USGA, said in a statement. “The U.S. Open is unique in major championship golf in that the qualifying process provides golfers of all ages, races and abilities a chance to play their way into the field. We look forward to welcoming 156 players to the championship and showcasing The Country Club in June.”

The 12 U.S. Open champions who are fully exempt from having to qualify include Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland, and Tiger Woods.

Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 44 U.S. states and Canada, will take place between April 25 and May 23. To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.

Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at nine U.S. and two international sites. Two qualifiers are set for Monday, May 23, one in Texas and one in Japan, while nine are scheduled on Monday, June 6, two in Ohio and one each in California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Canada.

England will not host final qualifying this year due to international travel requirements, but as was done in 2021, an exemption category will allow players to earn entry based on the four-event U.S. Open 2022 European Qualifying Series.

Two U.S. Open champions, Lucas Glover and Graeme McDowell, will attempt to qualify for the 122nd championship. McDowell, 42, is scheduled to play in the Dallas, Texas final qualifier on May 23, while Glover, 42, is in the Columbus, Ohio final qualifier on June 6.

Exemptions will also be awarded to the 2020-21 top finisher on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, the 2021-22 top finisher on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and the 2021-22 top finisher on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, who are not otherwise exempt as of May 23.

More information about the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, including local and final qualifying schedules, is available at usopen.com.