For the second time in three years, Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, 90 minutes east of Seattle, will be one of 10 U.S. sites to host a sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open June 18-21 at Chambers Bay.
Cheng-Tsung Pan, one of four amateurs to make the 36-hole cut in the 2013 U.S. Open, advanced through this site and went on to tie for 45th in the Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA.
Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held June 8 at 10 sites plus, for the 11th consecutive year, sites in Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying.
“The U.S. Open has worldwide appeal, so it is fitting that sectional qualifying will be conducted once again at international sites and in many regions of the United States,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “We are grateful for the support and commitment provided by the state and regional associations and international community during the qualifying process as we work toward identifying our national champion for the first time in the Pacific Northwest.”
Tumble Creek, at the Suncadia resort, is a private club.
Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play. Jerry Pate (1976), Steve Jones (1996), Michael Campbell (2005) and Lucas Glover (2009) have won as sectional qualifiers.
To be eligible, a player must have a handicap index not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional. Local qualifying, which will be played over 18 holes at 111 sites in the U.S., takes place between May 4-21.
In 2014, the USGA accepted a record 10,127 entries for the championship at Pinehurst. That total eclipsed the 9,860 for the 2013 championship at Merion.
Online player registration for the 2015 U.S. Open began Wednesday (https://champs.usga.org/