USGA Announces One Additional Exemption, Sets Full Field for 117th U.S. Open Championship

(ERIN, Wis.) – The United States Golf Association announced that one additional player has earned a full exemption into the 117th U.S. Open Championship, to be contested June 15-18 at Erin Hills, bringing the number of fully exempt players to 78. Additionally, five alternates from sectional qualifying were added to complete the 156-player field.

Chris Wood earned an exemption based on the current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Wood, of England, who is No. 60 in the OWGR, is playing in his second U.S. Open. The 29-year-old has four top-25 finishes on the PGA European Tour this season, including a tie for second at the Nordea Masters. Wood, who tied for 23rd in his first U.S. Open last year, won the BMW Championship and competed in his first Ryder Cup Match in 2016.

The USGA held six spots in the field for those players who could potentially qualify by moving into the top 60 of the OWGR, as of June 12. Since Wood was the only player to earn an exemption, five alternates from sectional qualifying were added to the field. They are Gregory Bourdy, Tyler Light, Davis Love IV, Meen Whee Kim and Ryan Palmer.

Bourdy, 35, of France, is playing in his third U.S. Open, with his best finish a tie for 18th last year at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. He was the first alternate from the England sectional. Bourdy, who has won four times on the PGA European Tour, has played in 13 events this season. His best finish is a tie for third at the Shenzhen International on April 23.

Light, 26, of Massillon, Ohio, was the first alternate from the Springfield, Ohio, sectional. He is competing in his first U.S. Open. Light, who is one of 21 players who advanced to this year’s U.S. Open through both local and sectional qualifying, played at Malone University, in Canton, Ohio, and had full status on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada in 2015.

Love IV, 23, is competing in his first U.S. Open after having qualified through local and sectional play. He was the first alternate from the Ball Ground, Ga., sectional. Love, known as Dru, was a fifth-year senior at the University of Alabama in 2016-17 and is playing in his first event as a professional. His father, Davis III, has played in 23 U.S. Opens and attempted to qualify in the Columbus, Ohio, sectional.

Kim, 25, of the Republic of Korea, is playing in his first U.S. Open. He was the first alternate from the Memphis, Tenn., sectional. Kim has competed in 19 PGA Tour events this season. He tied for fifth at the Puerto Rico Open on March 26. In 2015, Kim posted two top-10 finishes as a rookie on the PGA Tour.

Palmer is playing in his seventh U.S. Open, with his best finish a tie for 21st in 2011 at Congressional Country Club. He was the first alternate from the Dallas, Texas, sectional. Palmer has competed in 12 PGA Tour events this season. His best finish is a tie for sixth at the Valero Texas Open. Palmer has won three PGA Tour and one Nationwide Tour (now Web.com) events.

The U.S. Open will be contested in Wisconsin for the first time. Erin Hills is hosting its third USGA championship and its first since the 2011 U.S. Amateur. The U.S. Open will be contested in the Midwest for the first time since 2003, when Jim Furyk won at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club.

There were 114 U.S. Open local qualifying sites that led to 12 sectional qualifiers, including international sites in Japan and England. Sectional qualifying in the United States took place at 10 sites on June 5. The USGA accepted 9,485 entries by the deadline of April 26, the fifth-highest total in championship history.