Golf Canada – Four American touring pros punch their tickets to Pebble Beach next week;
David Hearn finishes as low Canadian in 12th at RattleSnake Point Golf Club

MILTON, Ont. – Four American touring professionals’ schedules got busier this month, as they earned coveted spots in the field for the 119th edition of the Men’s U.S. Open Championship, which runs from June 10 to 16 at Pebble Beach Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Tom Hoge, 30, of Statesville, NC and Austria-born Sepp Straka, 26, of Vodesta, GA earned co-medalist honours at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., on a cool, windswept Monday as it hosted the first-ever U.S. Open Championship Sectional Qualifier contested in Canada.

Hoge, who shot a 3-under 69 during the morning 18-hole wave, heated up on the back nine of his afternoon match, firing four birdies before a pair of bogeys on 17 and 18 brought his total score to -5 for a share of the clubhouse lead. 

Straka fired a 70 in the morning and stayed under the radar in the early afternoon after an opening double-bogey on his second 18 holes threatened his chances. He managed to notch three birdies between holes 12 and 16 to battle back and join Hoge at 5-under. 

“I played well. First time trying to qualify for an Open so I’m really happy about the result, ” said a smiling Straka in the clubhouse as he waited for the outcome of the playoff. “It’s awesome to be heading to Pebble Beach, such an iconic place. It’s going to be sweet!”

Playoff golf was required to break a three-way tie for the final two qualifying spots following 36-holes of regulation golf. Harris English birdied his last hole of the day with a superb approach to the green to force extra holes. Alex Prugh of Spokane, Wash. and Nathan Lashley of Scottsbluff, Neb, who had both been waiting in the clubhouse at 4-under, were forced to return to the course for a tiebreaker. 

Prugh and Lashley prevailed and will also be competing at Pebble Beach. English will serve as first alternate. 

The field featured 37 competitors including PGA TOUR veterans, promising Canadian golfers, and a three-time winner of major tournaments in Padraig Harrington, who had a good start, but settled for a final score of 2-under.

The 36-hole sectional event was held on the CopperHead course at Rattlesnake Point. Included in the field was eight Canadian golfers, many of whom will move on immediately to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to compete in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open. David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., was the low Canadian finisher in 12th position, shooting par on the day. 

“The conditions were really windy today and it was tricky if you weren’t in control of your ball,” said Hearn, who was rushing home to Brantford before heading to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to prepare for his next challenge at the RBC Canadian Open.  “But the course was in great shape, there’s no doubt about it. The greens set-up was great, and when the conditioning is good, it’s a fair contest for everybody.”

A total of 927 players participated in 12 sectoral qualifications, including events scheduled in Canada, England and Japan. This is the first time in the history of the U.S. Open that a sectional qualification event has been held in Canada. For all scores and results of U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers, click here. 

U.S. Open qualifying began earlier this spring with 8,602 players competing in 110 local qualifiers. One local qualifier was held in Canada on May 13 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont.

The Canadian sectional is being held the same week as the RBC Canadian Open, and several PGA TOUR players will be playing both the RBC Canadian Open and the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier. 

Canadians Nick Taylor and Mike Weir already qualified for the 119th U.S. Open via the sectional qualifying event on May 20 in Dallas.

FINAL RESULTS:

T1 Tom Hoge…..Fargo, ND……70-69 -139
T1 Sepp Straka…..Valdosta, GA……69 -70-139
T3 Nathan Lashley…..Scottsdale, AZ……72-68-140
T3 Alex Prugh…..Spokane, WA……70-70-140
— FAILED TO QUALIFY —
Harris English……Sea Island, GA……67-73-140
 (First Alternate)
Fabian Gomez ……Argentina……69-72-141
 (Second Alternate)
Padraig Harrington……Republic of Ireland……71-71-142
Scott Langley……Scottsdale, AZ……69-73-142
Hudson Swafford……Sea Island, GA……70-74-144
Michael Schoolcraft……Denver, Colorado……71-73-144
Dylan Frittelli……South Africa……72-72-144
David Hearn……Canada……75-70-145
Austin Cook……Jonesboro, AR……73-73-146
Josh Teater……Lexington, KY……73-73-146
Ricky Barnes……Stockton, CA……77-71-148
Scott Strohmeyer……Auburn, AL……76-72-148
Adam Svensson……Jupiter, FL……72-76-148
Chris Crisologo (a)……Canada……76-72-148
Brendan Seys (a)……Canada……72-77-149
Sebastian Szirmak……Canada……74-75-149
Zach Giusti……Canada……76-74-150
Parker McLachlin……Kohanaiki, HI……75-75-150
Cougar Collins (a)……Canada……75-77-152
Luc Warnock (a)……Canada……77-75-152
Cameron Davis……Australia……78-76-154
Brett Cairns……Canada76-78-154
Domenic Mancinelli……Northville, MI……78-81-159
Fisher Vollendorf (a)……Fayetteville, AR……82-80-162
WD Chris Stroud……Spring, TX……71
WD Ryan Palmer……Colleyville, TX……72
WD Seamus Power……Republic of Ireland……72
WD Sang Moon Bae……Las Vegas, NV……73
WD Ben Crane……Portland, OR……73
WD Ben Silverman……Canada……74
WD Brandon Hagy……Westlake Vil., CA ……75
WD Max Gilbert……Canada 82
WD Nicholas Lindheim……Satellite Beach, FL

About RattleSnake Point Golf Club

Located in Milton, Ontario, RattleSnake Point Golf Club is a regular qualifying venue for the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open. It features two premium golf courses. Architect Thomas McBroom designed each 18-hole course as a distinctive test. A big course with robust character, the CopperHead wanders through valleys and woodlands with the occasional water pond or creek to avoid. The links-style SideWinder follows the rolling terrain of the region with plenty of humps and bumps that challenge the golfer’s imagination and shot-making. McBroom created massive greens protected by gigantic bunkers on both courses, and the yardage can be stretched beyond 7,000 yards. In 2010, RattleSnake Point Golf Club hosted the Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship, won by Jim Rutledge. 

About the USGA

The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, as well as 10 amateur championships and international matches, attracting players and fans around the world. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings, with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico. The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and the work of the USGA Foundation. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents. For more information, visit www.usga.org.

Media Contact:


Philippe Riel

Communications Manager
Golf Canada

(e) priel@golfcanada.ca

(c) 416-557-2462