Only a 'miracle' can save Sergio's streak
Garcia isn't among 103 currently qualified for U.S. Open; Stray Shots: Post-PGA wrap
Did we see the last of Sergio Garcia in his 25th U.S. Open at Pinehurst? (Mike Ehrmann/USGA)
Sergio Garcia is asking for a miracle in order to extend his streak of competing in 25 consecutive U.S. Opens. By miracle, he means charity from the USGA to offer him a special exemption that he’s unlikely to receive.
Seven players earned a spot at Oakmont via Monday’s qualifier at Bent Tree in Dallas, Texas, but Garcia was not one of them. He shot 6-under in the 36-hole qualifier, missing a spot in a 7-for-1 playoff at 7-under — which was won by the Korm Ferry Tour’s Johnny Keefer over a group that included Doug Ghim, Eugenio Chacarra and Cameron Tringale.
Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen was the medalist at Bent Tree at 11-under par, while the other qualifiers in Dallas included James Hahn, Adam Schenk, Carlos Ortiz and amateurs Lance Simpson and Cameron Tankersley.
“Unfortunately after failing to qualify on Monday by one shot, looks like my run of 25 consecutive U.S. Open Championships might come to an end this year, unless a little miracle happens,” Garcia tweeted. “Very proud of this amazing run that I had at this great Major!”
Garcia, 45, has competed in 25 consecutive U.S. Opens and posted five top-10s, with his best result a tie for third in 2005. Last year, the Spaniard was added to field as the first alternate from the Dallas final qualifier. He went on to tie for 12th at Pinehurst No. 2.
The USGA does not offer special exemptions annually and in recent years they have been rare. Last year, they gave one to three-time U.S. Open winner Tiger Woods, who missed the cut. Woods undoubtedly would have received another this year if he were not injured and were seeking one. He is a nine-time USGA champion. The USGA offered an exemption to six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson in 2021 before he won the PGA Championship, which made him eligible through 2026.
Getting in as an alternate this time is not an option, as he missed the sven-man qualifying playoff (Ghim and Tringale are first and second alternates, respectively). It’s been a stretch of tough luck for Garcia, who got beaten out for the spot reserved for the top-ranked in-season LIV golfer by Joaquin Niemann and missed a 3-footer in the International Series Macau that would have booked him a spot in the British Open at Royal Portrush. Instead, that spot went to fellow LIV golfer Jason Kokrak, who would have been knocked out in a tie for third with Garcia based on OWGR points.
Garcia has won 11 PGA Tour titles, including the 2017 Masters, and won for the second time in LIV Golf in March. He also has 16 DP World Tour victories and has been a member of six winning European Ryder Cup teams, setting the record for the most points in Ryder Cup history.
In another U.S. Open final qualifying event at Walton Heath in England this week, eight players earned spots led by medalist Jordan Smith of England. The other Walton Heath qualifiers were: Frederic Lacroix (France); Jaokim Lagergren (Sweden); Guido Migliozzi (Italy); Sam Bairstow (England); Jacques Kruyswijk (South Africa); Edoardo Molinari (Italy); and Andrea Pavan (Italy).
Kruyswijk, Molinari and Pavan survived a six-man playoff for the last three spots.
In the final qualifying in Japan this week, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent earned co-medalist honors with Japan’s Yuta Sugiura and they will be joined at Oakmont by Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma, who won a 4-for-1 playoff.
The USGA announced 36 additional fully exempt golfers for Oakmont — 27 of them who were not otherwise exempt through the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 19. That crowd included former U.S. Open champions Lucas Glover (2009) and Justin Rose (2013) who will each complete in their 20th U.S. Opens. Also among the current top 60 were LIV golfers Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed.
These full exemptions as well as the 18 players via Monday’s final qualifiers brings the number of players currently in the field at Oakmont to 103, with 10 more final qualifying events to be played in North America on Monday, June 2.
The qualifying additions of Ortiz and Kozuma as well as the new exemptions for Hatton, Reed and Niemann bring the total number of LIV-affiliated golfers currently in the U.S. Open field to 12. Among the seven LIV golfers who failed to qualify in the first three final qualifying events was Talor Gooch, who walked off the course at Bent Tree while 1-over through 15 holes.
At No. 11, Maverick McNealy is the highest-ranked player in the current OWGR who was not previously exempt into the U.S. Open. He will play in his third U.S. Open but first since 2017. Davis Riley climbed 47 spots from last week’s ranking to No. 53 by tying for second in the PGA Championship, his best finish in a major. That earned him a spot in his fourth U.S. Open.
The other players who earned full exemptions through the current OWGR are: Daniel Berger, Jason Day, Thomas Detry, Nick Dunlap, Nicolas Echavarria, Harris English, Max Greyserman, Ben Griffin, Tyrrell Hatton, Joe Highsmith, Mackenzie Hughes, Stephan Jaegar, Michael Kim, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, Denny McCarthy, Andrew Novak, J.T. Poston, Patrick Reed, J.J. Spaun, Nick Taylor and Jhonattan Vegas.
Nine other players earned exemptions based on their performances in four additional categories.
The top five players in the current PGA Tour FedExCup standings, who were not otherwise exempt, are: Jacob Bridgeman, Brian Campbell, Cam Davis, Ryan Gerard and Sam Stevens.
The top two players from the final 2024 DP World Tour Race to Dubai Rankings, who were not otherwise exempt, are: Rasmus Hojgaard and Thriston Lawrence.
Laurie Canter is the highest ranked player on the current Race to Dubai Rankings who was not otherwise exempt while Niemann is the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top three of the 2025 LIV Golf individual standings.
The winner of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship that ends Wednesday and any multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship prior to the U.S. Open will also earn an exemption.
The number of fully exempt golfers may increase with the addition of the top 60 players from the OWGR as of Monday, June 9.
Stray Shots: Post-PGA shootaround
By Peter Kaufman
1. The PGA: Scottie Scheffler won his third major and 15th tour title going away on Sunday. And while it looked like a laugher in the end with the final margin of five strokes, with nine holes still to play he was tied with Jon Rahm. Scheffler had essentially blown a five-shot lead on the front nine Sunday, but he put his foot on the accelerator with birdies at 10, 14 and 15 while Rahm imploded on the “Green Mile” (finishing bogey-double-double).
Scheffler now separates himself from the pack of current players with two majors. He again looks indomitable having won two consecutive starts heading into this weekend’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley are shared distant runner-up honors at 6-under. DeChambeau continues to lurk at every major port. Rahm finished T8, an unbelievable seven shots behind after being tied with just seven holes to play.
2. Muted McIlroy: Rory McIlroy finished tied for 47th, but at least viewers were treated to pretty much all of his shots Sunday anyway. It’s sad that the networks and the PGA Tour think it’s of interest to viewers to see McIlroy charge from 55th to 47th on Sunday. Because it’s of no interest. He had nothing to say about his performance — or his banished driver — after any of the tournament rounds.