Ten players in Memphis vying for Open spot
- By Randall Mell
- Jun 9, 2011 2:39 PM ET
Keegan Bradley is one of 10 players at the FedEx St. Jude Classic who still have chances to play themselves into the U.S. Open next week.
Bradley is in the early hunt in Memphis but needs to win to make it to Congressional next week.
Stuart Appleby, Matt Bettencourt, Michael Bradley, Steve Marino, Carl Pettersson, Brendan Steele, Johnny Vegas, Scott Verplank and Johnson Wagner also can earn U.S. Open spots through their performances in Memphis.
Two avenues remain through which players can yet qualify.
To accommodate the possibilities, the U.S. Golf Association has left three spots open into the championship (though Gary Woodland has clinched one of the spots via the world rankings). If all three spots aren’t filled, the USGA will complete its field through its alternate list.
The First Avenue: Official World Golf Ranking
Any player who’s not yet qualified for the U.S. Open can earn a spot cracking the top 50 in Sunday night’s newest world rankings.
Marino and Verplank are the only players who can play their way into the top 50 this weekend though Verplank’s poor start makes it highly unlikely.
Marino’s ranked No. 59 in the world. He cracks the top 50 with a victory and likely cracks the top 50 with a second-place finish, depending on how other players fare.
Verplank is No. 73 in the world and cracks the top 50 with a victory but opened Thursday with a 76.
The Second Avenue: Multiple PGA Tour winners’ category
Any player winning multiple PGA Tour sanctioned events between June 20 of last year and this Sunday qualifies for the U.S. Open.
Eight players have chances to qualify in this category if they win the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis this weekend.
Appleby (Greenbrier), Bettencourt (Reno-Tahoe), Keegan Bradley (HP Byron Nelson), Michael Bradley (Puerto Rico Open), Pettersson (RBC Canadian), Steele (Valero Texas), Vegas (Bob Hope) and Wagner (Mayakoba) will claim their second victories in the qualifying window with a win in Memphis.
Further Reading
Mell, a senior writer, is a 30-year veteran and covers the PGA and LPGA tours for Golf Channel.
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