Live From: U.S. Open Qualifying
Shinnecock Hills Golf Course
SUMMIT, N.J. (June 4, 2018) – Theo Humphrey of Greenwich, Conn., shot 5-under 65 Monday morning to lead 81 U.S. Open hopefuls at the halfway mark of sectional qualifying at Canoe Brook Country Club, where the top five finishers over 36 holes of play will advance to the 118th U.S. Open Championship.
Related: Scoring | Photos | Complete Qualifying Coverage
Players took advantage of soft conditions after overnight rain, with 17 posting sub-par scores in the morning. Mike Miller of Brewster, N.Y., fired a bogey-free 4-under 66 on the South Course, while Cameron Wilson of Rowayton, Conn., Andy Pope of Orlando, Fla., Calum Hill of Silver City, N.M., and amateur Ryan Davis of Berkeley Heights, N.J., all posted scores of 3-under to stand within the mix.
“I got off to a hot start,” said Humphrey, who began his round with three consecutive birdies on the South Course, starting off the 10th hole. “That kind of makes everything a little easier after that.”
Humphrey, who was named an All-American and earned SEC Player of the Year honors during his senior campaign at Vanderbilt, made the turn in 4-under 30 and added three more birdies and a pair of bogeys over his final nine. “I was just hitting fairways, giving myself good looks and was able to make a few so it was a pretty stress-free round.”
Miller leaned on his short game to get up-and-down, while converting birdie opportunities when they were available. “I only hit nine greens, so I was really scrambling,” said the two-time MGA Player of the Year who advanced to the 2016 U.S. Open from Canoe Brook.
Related: [Video] Road to the Majors Presented by Rolex, featuring the 118th U.S. Open
“I love the course [North] that I’m about to go to, so hopefully everything keeps going well and we have a chance to get to Shinnecock like everyone wants to do here,” said Miller.
“I didn’t hit it all that bad, just a few squirrely iron shots,” said Miller. “I drove it in play and that’s what you want to do—you want to give yourself chances. The chances I gave myself, I made and the greens that I needed to get up-and-down, I did. So, that was good to keep the momentum going all round.”
For Miller, and many others in the field, the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Open this year is doubly as special with it taking place at Shinnecock Hills. “I have big aspirations to play, especially being from new York and this is so close to home,” Miller said. “Knowing that I’ve done it before, I feel like it could give me a mental edge over somebody else, but at the same time you still have to go out and play golf.”
Wilson and Pope are also looking to capitalize on past successes at Canoe Brook, Wilson having advanced in 2012 as an amateur and Pope having done so from the site the past two years.
The afternoon round is underway, with live scoring linked above. Follow the MGA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for additional coverage.