Pairings Set for U.S. Open Sectional
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (June 2, 2017) – On Monday, June 5, eighty competitors will have their eyes set on advancing to the 117th U.S. Open Championship from Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., where the Metropolitan Golf Association will conduct its annual Sectional Qualifying Round for the second straight year.
The field once again features competitors from all levels of play—including rising teen talent, those from the collegiate ranks, club professionals, and PGA TOUR champions. The 50 professionals and 30 amateurs will vie for five spots in this year’s U.S. Open Championship at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisc., June 15-18.
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Canoe Brook is one of 10 sites across the country hosting U.S. Open SQRs on June 5, while two additional SQRs have already been completed in Japan (May 22) and England (May 29). This is the 15th time since 1980 that Canoe Brook has hosted sectional qualifying, which has been on a three-year rotating basis with Old Oaks Country Club and Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. All SQRs are contested over 36 holes, with players at Canoe Brook having one round on both the North and South courses.
Several names in this year’s field have had success at Canoe Brook before, including five of last year’s six qualifiers from the site. Former Trump National – Bedminster assistant professional and PGA TOUR winner Jim Herman of Palm City, Fla.; two-time MGA Player of the Year Michael Miller of Brewster, N.Y.; Web.com Tour competitors Justin Hicks of Wellington, Fla., and Andy Pope of Orlando, Fla.; and amateur Christopher Crawford of Bensalem, Pa., are all looking to make their second straight trip to the U.S. Open by way of Canoe Brook. Herman has made the most of his U.S. Open qualifying opportunities in the Met Area, advancing to the national championship four times including three at Canoe Brook (2010, 2012, 2016). Crawford provided the thrilling finish of the day last year, holing a 40-foot putt on the North Course’s 18th hole to secure the final spot at Oakmont.
Cameron Wilson of Rowayton, Conn., has also had success at Canoe Brook, advancing to the U.S. Open as an amateur in 2012. The 2009 MGA Player of the Year, along with Miller, is one of several professional competitors in the field who honed their skills in the Met Area. The list also includes Web.com Tour players Marc Turnesa of Jupiter, Fla., and Andrew Svoboda of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; 2008 Ike champion Kevin Foley of Somerville, N.J., who gained entry to last year’s U.S. Open as an alternate; 2015 U.S. Open competitor Pat Wilson of Andover, N.J.; and 2012 Met Amateur champion and current Asian Tour competitor Ryan McCormick of Middletown, N.J.
Additional professionals to watch in the field include two-time PGA TOUR winner Daniel Chopra of Windemere, Fla.; Richy Werenski of South Hadley, Mass., a winner of Golf Channel’s Big Break who has steadily risen up the professional ranks to the PGA TOUR; Web.com Tour competitor Roberto Diaz of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., who competed in this year’s WGC-Mexico Championship; PGA TOUR Latinoamerica competitor Juan Alvarez, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., and 2016 PGA Championship of Canada winner Marc-Etienne Bussieres.
Looking through the pairings, one will also spot several of the country’s most competitive PGA Professionals. Matt Dobyns of Lake Success, N.Y., is a two-time PGA Professional Championship winner and the 2015 PGA Professional Player of the Year who last competed in the U.S. Open in 2014. Rich Berberian, Jr., of Hooksett, N.H., advanced to the 2015 U.S. Open from Purchase, and last year claimed the PGA Professional Championship title. Adam Rainaud of Old Lyme, Conn., is a three-time Connecticut PGA Player of the Year looking to carry his success into the Met Area with his new assistant position at Winged Foot Golf Club. Past Met Open champion Tyler Hall of Wayne, N.J., and Bob Rittberger of Garden City, N.Y., also stand among the many PGA Professionals capable of firing low scores at Canoe Brook.
Amateurs in the field are headlined by 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Scott Harvey of Greensboro, N.C., and five-time USGA champion Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, Pa.—who are both also past Walker Cup competitors. University of Richmond’s Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y., and University of Rhode Island’s Dawson Jones of Howell, N.J., are among the top collegiate contenders. Other amateurs in the field include Bobby Leopold of Coventry, R.I., who advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills; and former National Hockey League goaltender Mike Dunham of Concord, Mass.
Canoe Brook’s North and South courses complement one another very well for the 36-hole event, as players will need length and accuracy to maneuver around the North Course and finesse as they take on the shorter South Course.
Several competitors with Met Area ties are also competing at other Sectional Qualifying Round sites on Monday: Stewart Hagestad in Newport Beach, Calif., Max Greyserman in Lakewood, Wash., Harrison Shih in Rockville, Md., and J.J. Henry and Morgan Hoffmann in Columbus, Ohio.