The 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, Mass. The U.S. Open will be held at the club for the fourth time on June 16-19, 2022.
More than 9,000 U.S. Open entries were accepted for the 10th consecutive time and the 13th time overall. The number of entries is the sixth-highest total in championship history. 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,” said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer for the USGA. “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.”
Jon Rahm, who became the first player from Spain to win a USGA championship when he captured the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course last year, leads the list of 48 players who are fully exempt into the field (see list below). Rahm will seek to become the eighth man to win consecutive U.S. Opens.
Joining Rahm are 11 other U.S. Open champions who are fully exempt from having to qualify: Bryson DeChambeau (2020), Jim Furyk (2003), Dustin Johnson (2016), Martin Kaymer (2014), Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018), Rory McIlroy (2011), Justin Rose (2013), Webb Simpson (2012), Jordan Spieth (2015), Gary Woodland (2019) and Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008).
Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 44 U.S. states and Canada, will take place between April 25-May 23. 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. The top 10 aggregate point earners from those DP World Tour events (Betfred British Masters, Soudal Open, Dutch Open and Porsche European Open) who are otherwise not exempt will earn a place in the U.S. Open field.
Two U.S. Open champions, Lucas Glover (2009) and Graeme McDowell (2010), 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.
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional. Grant Goltz, a 46-year-old amateur from DeKalb, Ill., submitted his entry just one minute before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 13. Dan Ireland, a 58-year-old amateur from Wynantskill, N.Y., was the first entrant on Feb. 23.
The number of fully exempt players will increase with the inclusion of the top 60 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking®, as of May 23 and June 6. The winner of the PGA Championship (May 19-22) and any multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship will also earn exemptions.
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.
The U.S. Open has previously been contested at The Country Club in 1913, 1963 and 1988, and each championship was decided in a playoff. In 1988, Curtis Strange won the first of his back-to-back U.S. Open titles when he defeated Nick Faldo by four strokes in an 18-hole playoff. Francis Ouimet (1913) and Julius Boros (1963) also prevailed in 18-hole playoffs. One of the five founding member clubs of the USGA, The Country Club will host its 17th USGA championship and first since the 2013 U.S. Amateur. The total of 17 USGA championships is tied for second-most all time.
More information about the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, including local and final qualifying schedules, can be found here.
The list of currently exempt players can be found here.