5 Sectional Qualifying Golfers with Best Chance to Win U.S. Open
A staggering 787 golfers participated in 10 American U.S. Open sectional qualifiers for the chance to compete at Chambers Bay.
Of those participants, only 58 survived the treacherous 36-hole marathon to earn an exemption into the U.S. Open. The final total included 13 amateurs and 45 professionals, and they look to become the first player since Lucas Glover in 2009 to win from sectional qualifying.
Chambers Bay is a tough enough golf course by itself, but winning from sectional qualifying is even tougher. In the past decade, Michael Campbell (2005 winner) and Glover have both been victorious through sectional qualifying, but normally it's a rare occurrence.
Nevertheless, the feat is possible, and there are plenty of established names who had to qualify this year in order to get into the U.S. Open. Official world rankings will be taken into consideration in terms of who has the best chance to win this year, but experience and recent success will weigh more.
There are many different variables that can lead to a player being victorious, and during a major championship week, luck can be a huge factor.
Regardless, here are the top five sectional qualifiers that have the best chance at winning the 2015 U.S. Open.
Honorable Mentions
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Bo Van Pelt
Van Pelt has made five consecutive cuts at the U.S. Open and will try to make it six after he qualified for this year's tournament.
The 40-year-old Richmond, Indiana, native only has one PGA Tour victory, but he has the ability to go low at any moment. After struggling at the beginning of the season, Van Pelt has managed to make the cut in six of his last eight events, including tying for ninth at the RBC Heritage.
He's a long shot to be in contention, but if he makes his way up the leaderboard, expect many "BVP" chants throughout the weekend.
Robert Streb
Ranking 12th in the FedEx Cup standings and 76th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Robert Streb is having a fantastic season.
A final-round 63 guided Streb to a victory at The McGladrey Classic in October 2014. After some midseason struggles, Streb has turned it back around. He has been solid in his last four events, finishing T30, T4, T19 and T18.
Streb has only played in one career major championship, missing the cut at this year's Masters. However, the 28-year-old could make some noise this weekend. His 294.3 driving distance, which ranks 45th on tour, will give him an advantage at the long Chambers Bay.
Camilo Villegas
Shooting 64-72 for a 36-hole total of 136, Villegas was able to qualify for the U.S. Open for the first time since 2011. At only 33 years old, Villegas should still have plenty of great golf left in him. Compared to many other qualifiers, Villegas has an experience advantage, having played in 24 previous major championships.
Ranking 147th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Villegas will look for his first made cut in a major since the 2011 Masters. In addition, his recent T18 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic should add as momentum heading into Chambers Bay.
5. Beau Hossler
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World Golf Amateur Ranking: 6th
Despite being only 20 years old, Hossler has more experience at the U.S. Open than many other golfers in this tournament.
This will be his third U.S. Open, and he hasn't even turned professional yet. In 2012, Hossler had a share of the lead at one point, but he struggled a bit on Sunday, shooting 76 to finish tied for 29th.
The Rancho Santa Margarita, California, native shot a seven-under 136 to qualify for the U.S. Open. With two U.S. Opens under his belt at such a young age, he's shown that he can compete at the professional level already.
With golf's best two current golfers being only 26 and 21 years old, there might be an even younger golfer at the top of the leaderboard this week.
4. David Hearn
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Official World Golf Ranking: 165th
Shooting 68-65 for a 36-hole total of 133, David Hearn was able to qualify for this year's U.S Open.
A Canadian hasn't won a major championship since Mike Weir's 2003 Masters victory, but Hearn will be looking to change that this year. Although he's never won on the PGA Tour, Hearn has been a consistent player for the last few seasons.
His closest chance at victory came at the 2013 John Deer Classic, where he lost in a playoff to a 19-year-old Jordan Spieth. Recording two top-10 finishes thus far, Hearn's had a steady season, with his best finish being a T6 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Hearn was just two shots off the lead at The Players Championship this season, but a final-round 78 cost him a shot at victory. Although the result wasn't what he was hoping for, the experience of being in the hunt on Sunday in the "unofficial fifth major" should help him this week.
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3. Luke Donald
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Official World Golf Ranking: 67th
It was a surprise by itself to see that Luke Donald had to go through sectional qualifying, but it's been a recent struggle for the former world No. 1.
It's been three years since Donald has won on the PGA Tour, but it was just four years ago that he was winning the PGA and European Player of the Year awards. After struggling through the 2013 season, Donald changed from longtime swing coach Pat Gross to Chuck Cook.
After he didn't regain much success with Cook, he switched back to Gross and continues to work with him. The instability for Donald has been rough, but he's only two years removed from a T8 at the U.S Open.
Donald's experience and the fact that he'll be flying under the radar this week should help him toward a good finish this weekend.
2. Tony Finau
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Official World Golf Ranking: 136th
The 25-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, is having a great rookie season on the PGA Tour.
Ranking 54th in the FedEx Cup Standings, Finau has managed four top-10s and four consecutive top-20 finishes this season. Although he's missed seven cuts in 21 starts, whenever Finau makes the cut, he usually finds himself near the top of the leaderboard.
With Chambers Bay measuring around 7,600 yards, this is where Finau will have an advantage on his competitors. Finau ranks third on the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 307.2 yards per drive. Although he crushes the golf ball, his accuracy percentage could improve, as he ranks 183rd in driving accuracy.
However, if Finau is able to keep the ball in the fairway for four days, he could be a sleeper at Chambers Bay. Finau is also 13th on the tour in birdie average, and with birdies always hard to come by at the U.S. Open, this could prove to be another advantage.
1. Michael Putnam
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Official World Golf Ranking: 300th
There's probably nobody in this tournament who knows Chambers Bay better than Michael Putnam.
Putnam lives in University Place, Washington, which is coincidentally where Chambers Bay is located. His hometown knowledge and familiarity with the area should give him an advantage. Not only that, but his brother and caddie, Joel Putnam, is even more knowledgeable with Chambers Bay.
According to GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, Joel Putnam has worked more than 500 rounds as a caddie at Chambers Bay since it opened. USGA executive director Mike Davis expressed how important preparation is at Chambers Bay, and by having an experienced caddie, as well as playing the course an estimated 40 times, Putnam has an edge over his competitors.
Putnam has never recorded a PGA Tour victory and only has two top-10 finishes in his career on the tour, but familiarity is key. Local knowledge and comfort is hard to gain in major championships, and this could be the perfect scenario for Putnam to get his first career win.
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