Tiger Woods Accepts Special Exemption to U.S. Open at Pinehurst

May 2, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Tiger Woods is heading to Pinehurst in June.

The United States Golf Association announced Thursday that the three-time U.S. Open champion has accepted a special exemption to the 124th edition of the championship, to be held June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.

The Hall of Famer was not exempt for the tournament, the first time since the 1996 PGA Championship that he had not been exempt for a major. He got a five-year exemption into the U.S. Open for winning the 2019 Masters, which began with the 2019 edition and ended last year.

“The U.S. Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career,” Woods said in a USGA release. “I’m honored to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year’s U.S. Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game.”

Woods won the U.S. Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008. He last played it in 2020, missing the cut at Winged Foot in New York in a U.S. Open moved to September due to COVID-19.

“The story of the U.S. Open could not be written without Tiger Woods,” said USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer. “From his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 to his inspiring win on a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008, this championship is simply better when Tiger is in the field, and his accomplishments in the game undoubtedly made this an easy decision for our special exemption committee.”

Woods played in last month’s Masters and finished 60th, last among players who made the cut after a weekend of 82-77. He has not officially committed to the PGA Championship in two weeks but an unveiling of his Sun Day Red apparel line is believed to be a clue that he will tee it up at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky.

The 15-time major winner is exempt for life into the PGA and the Masters and exempt until age 60 in the British Open.

13 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Patrick Cantlay Shoots 65, Leads Early in Opening Round at U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. — Patrick Cantlay is on the short list of the best golfers without a major title. He’s off to a good start to remove his name from that list.

The eight-time PGA Tour winner and ninth-ranked player in the world shot 5-under 65 Thursday morning at Pinehurst No. 2 in the opening round of the 124th U.S. Open, leading by one over Ludvig Åberg with the afternoon wave still set to tee off.

Cantlay, a 32-year-old California native who played collegiately at UCLA, is making his 30th major start. He has never missed a cut in the U.S. Open, with high finishes of T14 the last two years.

Xander Schauffele, his closest friend on Tour, won his first major last month at the PGA Championship. Cantlay finished T53 that week at Valhalla Golf Club.

On Thursday Cantlay made six birdies against just one bogey at perilous Pinehurst No. 2, where domed green complexes repel shots in all directions and act as the course’s primary defense against the game’s best players. Cantlay had just 23 putts.

THISCLOSE to the lowest round in U.S. Open history at Pinehurst. 😮
Still, a sizzling 65 for @patrick_cantlay. pic.twitter.com/hptat2zbVu
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024

Two-time U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, for example, shot 33 on the front nine and got to 3 under through 10 holes but gave all that back with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch and shot even-par 70.

Åberg, a 24-year-old Swede ranked sixth in the world, shot 4-under 66 in his first U.S. Open round. Pavon, a native of France who was a surprise winner earlier this year at Torrey Pines, got to 5 under through 10 holes with eagles on both of Pinehurst's par 5s but made two bogeys the rest of the way to shoot 67.

Tony Finau, who has won six times on Tour and is also in the best-without-a-major conversation, shot 68.

Sam Bennett, Corey Conners, Sergio Garcia, S.H. Kim and Aaron Rai all posted 1-under 69s from the morning wave. Garcia, a player on LIV Golf, is making his 25th consecutive U.S. Open start after making the field as alternate from last week’s 36-hole final qualifying. His 69 featured 17 pars and one birdie—good for the sixth bogey-free round in four U.S. Opens played at Pinehurst No. 2.

Tiger Woods shot 4-over 74, playing for the first time since missing the cut at last month’s PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson, who like Woods played at Pinehurst’s first U.S. Open in 1999, shot 9-over 79 with nine bogeys and no birdies.

This U.S. Open has the highest purse ever for a major championship, at $21.5 million with $4.3 million to the winner.

4 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Adam Scott Falls Short in U.S. Open Qualifying, Putting Major Streak in Danger

In 2001, a 21-year-old Adam Scott played in the British Open. He hasn’t missed a major championship since—a run of 91 consecutive—but will now need a little luck to extend his impressive streak.

Scott made a par to fellow Australian Cam Davis’s birdie on the third playoff hole Monday at Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ohio, losing in a playoff for a qualifying spot at next week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. A total of 44 spots were up for grabs at 10 courses across the U.S. and Canada after marathon 36-hole qualifiers.

PGA Tour members Zac Blair and Beau Hossler took two of the top four spots in Springfield, shooting 9 under and 8 under. Carson Schaake also shot 8 under, while Scott and Davis shot 7 under and went to the playoff.

Scott will be an alternate (the USGA uses an undisclosed system for allocating alternates across all sites), but chances are that won’t get him into the U.S. Open. He can still get in if he’s in the top 60 of the World Golf Ranking on June 10, the Monday of the tournament. He sits at No. 60 in the world but is not playing in this week’s Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour, whose results could shuffle that top 60 cutoff.

Another notable player not advancing is LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann, who along with fellow LIV player Anirban Lahiri finished one shot out of a playoff in Jupiter, Fla. The Chilean had earned special invitations to the Masters and PGA Championship and has a spot in the British Open but will not play in the U.S. Open. Fellow LIV golfer Dean Burmester will be at Pinehurst after claiming one of the five available spots in Jupiter, as will Matt Kuchar and Daniel Berger.

Berger missed the cut at the 2022 U.S. Open and did not play again on the PGA Tour until last January due to persistent back pain.

“This is the first time I’ve walked 36 holes in like three years,” Berger said after advancing at the Bear’s Club, his home course.

Seven LIV golfers in all failed to advance from the Jupiter qualifier, including 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.

LIV’s David Puig advanced from a qualifier in Daly City, Calif.

Webb Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, will play in his home state next week after advancing from a qualifier at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C. Also qualifying was Harry Higgs, who won back-to-back events recently on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour pro Chesson Hadley and Sam Bennett, who won the 2022 U.S. Amateur and was in the hunt as an amateur at the 2023 Masters.

Full U.S. Open final qualifying results can be found here.

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Tiger Woods Accepts Special Exemption to U.S. Open at Pinehurst

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