USGA Announces 23 Additional Players Exempt for 118th U.S. Open Championship

U.S. Amateur champions Matthew Fitzpatrick, Bryson DeChambeau and Peter Uihlein among latest group

(LIBERTY CORNER, N.J.) – The United States Golf Association announced that 23 additional golfers, including U.S. Amateur champions Matthew Fitzpatrick, Bryson DeChambeau and Peter Uihlein, have earned full exemptions into the 2018 U.S. Open Championship, to be played June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. These exemptions bring the number of fully exempt players to 77.

All 23 exemptions were awarded to players who earned a place in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of May 21. DeChambeau, who won the 2015 U.S. Amateur, is ranked No. 39. He will compete in his fourth U.S. Open. Fitzpatrick, who is also competing in his fourth U.S. Open, claimed the 2013 U.S. Amateur and is ranked No. 40. Uihlein, who won the 2010 U.S. Amateur, is ranked No. 59 and will play in his third U.S. Open.

The other players who earned full exemptions through the current Official World Golf Ranking are: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Ross Fisher, Dylan Frittelli, Branden Grace, Chesson Hadley, Tyrrell Hatton, Charles Howell III, Satoshi Kodaira, Alexander Levy, Haotong Li, Luke List, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Chez Reavie, Cameron Smith, Charl Schwartzel and Brendan Steele.

At No. 19, Noren is the highest-ranked player in the current OWGR who was not previously exempt into the U.S. Open. Noren, who has captured nine European PGA Tour titles and lost to Jason Day in a playoff at the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open in January, will compete in his sixth U.S. Open.

Hadley moved up two spots from the previous world ranking to No. 60 as of this week. Hadley, who will play in his first U.S. Open, won the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in 2014 and posted two of his four Web.com Tour victories last year.

The winner of the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship (May 24-27) 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 11.

The first of two international sectional qualifiers for the 2018 U.S. Open was held on May 21, in Japan, where three spots in the 156-player field were determined. England will host qualifying for the 14th consecutive year on Monday, June 4. Those players who qualify are in addition to the 77 fully exempt players listed below.

Sectional qualifying in the United States, at 36 holes, will take place at 10 sites on Monday, June 4. The sites are: Lake Merced Golf Club & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), Daly City, Calif.; The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.; Ansley Golf Club (Settindown Creek Course), Roswell, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.; Canoe Brook Country Club (North and South Courses), Summit, N.J.; Brookside Golf & Country Club & Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio; Springfield (Ohio) Country Club; Portland (Ore.) Golf Club; Ridgeway Country Club & Colonial Country Club (South Course), Memphis, Tenn.; and Shadow Hawk Golf Club, Richmond, Texas.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is the lone club to have hosted the U.S. Open in three different centuries. In 1896, James Foulis won the second U.S. Open with a three-stroke victory over Horace Rawlins. Raymond Floyd (1986) and Corey Pavin (1995) were U.S. Open champions in the 20th century. Retief Goosen held off Phil Mickelson to win his second U.S. Open in 2004.

A list of the 77 golfers fully exempt into the 2018 U.S. Open as of May 21 (not including the three international sectional qualifiers from Japan) is below. It can also be found at this link: http://www.usopen.com/qualifying/exemptions.html.

More information about the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, including local and sectional qualifying, is available at www.usopen.com.