Links: USGA Qualifying Schedule | USGA Press Release
For many hopefuls, the journey to the 2016 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club begins with local qualifying. Between May 2-19, the USGA will conduct 111 18-hole qualifiers in 43 states to determine which players advance to 36-hole sectional qualifying. Ten sectional qualifiers are scheduled in the United States on Monday, June 6, and for the 12th consecutive year, Japan and England will host sectional qualifying, both in late May. The U.S. Open is being conducted for a record ninth time at Oakmont June 16-19.
Connecticut will host one of the one hundred-eleven local qualifiers at the historic New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut on May 16th. The course was originally designed by Robert D. Pryde in 1898, who was also the Golf Professional and Greenskeeper at the club. After New Haven Country Club, he would go on to design a total of seven courses in Connecticut, including Wethersfield Country Club, host of the 2016 Connecticut Amateur Championship. Pryde became the first Executive Director of the CSGA from 1922 to 1946, running the organization from his home on the 12th hole at Race Brook CC. He was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.
The present layout was designed by renowned architect Willie Park in 1922. The course measures 6,602 yards from the Championship tees and features an incredible set of green complexes that were recently resurfaced with Creeping Bentgrass in 2009.
New Haven Country Club has played host to some of the most storied championships in New England. Most recently, it hosted the 2013 Connecticut Amateur Championship, the 111th playing of the event, which saw Cody Paladino of Wethersfield Country Club capture the title over Peter Ballo. The club has hosted an amazing sixteen Connecticut Amateur Championships and seven Connecticut Open Championships, and is scheduled to host the 2018 Connecticut Open Championship.
“The skills and support provided by state and regional golf associations in conducting U.S. Open local qualifying is immeasurable, and we appreciate their continued commitment,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “Thousands of golfers from around the world, both professional and amateur, will take part in the two-tiered process of U.S. Open qualifying as they pursue an opportunity to compete for our national championship.”
In 2015, the USGA accepted 9,882 entries for the championship at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash. The record of 10,127 was established for the 2014 championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
The 2016 CSGA Championship calendar will feature over seventy days of competition and will kick off on May 2nd at Black Hall Club for the annual Two Man Team Championship. The club, which hosted the Connecticut Amateur last year in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, will also be the site for USGA Four-Ball Qualifying on September 12th. The U.S. Four-Ball Championship is the newest USGA Championship, having been created in 2013 to fill the void of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The 2017 U.S. Four-Ball will be held at the historic Pinehurst No. 2 course in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Other USGA qualifying sites include a trio of past Connecticut Amateur hosts – Torrington Country Club (1994 & 2006), which will host the 69th U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier, Ellington Ridge Country Club (2008), which will host the 116th U.S. Amateur Qualifier, and Shuttle Meadow Country Club (1919, 24, 32, 40, 52, 70 and 88), which will host the 62nd U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier. Great River Golf Club in Milford will also host the 113th U.S. Amateur Qualifier, and Connecticut National Golf Club in Putnam will host the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier.
2016 USGA Qualifying Schedule
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 16th | 116th U.S. Open Qualifying (LQR) | New Haven Country Club |
| June 21st | 69th U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying | Torrington Country Club |
| June 27th | 68th U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Qualifying | The Apawamis Club (NY) |
| July 11th | 116th U.S. Amateur Qualifying | Ellington Ridge Country Club |
| July 12th | 116th U.S. Amateur Qualifying | Great River Golf Club |
| August 3rd | 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying | Connecticut National Golf Club |
| August 15th | 62nd U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying | Shuttle Meadow Country Cluib |
| September 12th | 3rd U.S. Four-Ball Qualifying | Black Hall Club |
Online player registration for the 2016 U.S. Open will begin in the second week of March (https://champs.usga.org/index.html). To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.
