Conducted over 18 holes, sectional qualifying will be held at 34 sites across the United States between May 13 and June 10. Online entry applications are available now and continue through Wednesday, May 8, at 5 p.m. EDT (www.usga.org/champs/apply).
“Allied Golf Associations throughout America provide the foundation that allows U.S. Senior Open sectional qualifying, a process that is both open and democratic and for thousands of golfers, to be held across the nation as the USGA conducts senior golf’s most prestigious championship,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, the city of South Bend and the Michiana community are eager to deliver a great experience for both the players and the fans, and ultimately assist in identifying the recipient of the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy as champion.”
Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open will be held on The Omni Homestead Resort’s Cascades Course, in Hot Springs, Va., for the 16th time and sixth consecutive year. The club is the site of eight USGA championships, including the 1967 U.S. Women’s Open and 1988 U.S. Amateur. Sam Snead, a four-time U.S. Open runner-up, was The Homestead’s golf professional for nearly six decades.
The Olympic Club’s Lake Course, in San Francisco, Calif., which will serve as a U.S. Senior Open sectional qualifying site for the third time in five years, also has a celebrated USGA history. The club has hosted 10 USGA championships, including five U.S. Opens (1955, 1966, 1987, 1998, 2012), and will be the host site for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open and 2025 U.S. Amateur championships.
Green Valley Country Club, in Fairfield, Calif., and Indian Hills Country Club, in Mission Hills, Kan., are each hosting a sectional qualifier for the ninth time. Jeff Wilson, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, tied for 43rd in the 2015 Senior Open after qualifying at Green Valley.
Worthington Hills Country Club, in Columbus, Ohio, is a sectional site for the sixth time and third consecutive year. Jarmo Sandelin, of Sweden, and Andre Bossert, of Switzerland, each made the 36-hole cut in the 2018 U.S. Senior Open and were the top qualifiers at Worthington Hills last year with a 69 and 70, respectively. Wynlakes Golf and Country Club, in Montgomery, Ala., is also hosting its sixth Senior Open sectional.
U.S. Senior Open sectional qualifying will be contested for a fourth time at Goose Creek Golf Club, in Jurupa Valley, Calif., and Meadowbrook Country Club, in Racine, Wis. The Olympic Club is joined by eight additional clubs which are serving as sectional sites for a third time. They are: Annandale Golf Club, in Pasadena, Calif.; Argyle Country Club, in Silver Spring, Md.; Battle Creek (Mich.) Country Club; Bonnie Briar Country Club, in Larchmont, N.Y.; Hoakalei Country Club, in Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Inverness (Ill.) Country Club; The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club (Gary Player Course); and OGA Golf Course, in Woodburn, Ore.
California has the most sectional sites with five. Three sectional qualifiers are scheduled in Florida, while Georgia and Texas will host two qualifiers. There are qualifying sites in 26 states.
Don Pooley (2002) is the lone player to win the U.S. Senior Open after qualifying through sectional play. Last year, 17 players who advanced through sectional qualifying made the 36-hole cut in the Senior Open at The Broadmoor Golf Resort’s East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Tim Petrovic was the top finisher from that group, having tied for second behind champion David Toms with a 72-hole score of 2-under-par 278. Petrovic was a medalist (67) in sectional qualifying.
The 2019 U.S. Senior Open will be the 22nd USGA championship contested in Indiana. To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4, or be a professional, and be 50 years of age at the start of championship play.
Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame will be the first collegiate course to host a U.S. Senior Open Championship. This will be the 19th USGA championship held on a college-affiliated layout.
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