The Race to the U.S. Open: Springfield

Host Course 

A longtime host, Springfield Country Club has held up as a great course despite its short length. It measures less than 6,700 yards, but the severe runoffs and difficult greens make it a true test. Take, for example, the difficult 18th, whose green is perched on a large hill. Leave your approach short, and the ball can run 70 yards down the hill. Get it above the hole and a three- (or four-) putt comes into play. I have been on site the last few years, and it’s a wonderful course. 

‍Players in the field: 78

‍Spots available: About 7 or 8 based on previous years

‍Most decorated players in the field

‍Davis Love III: At age 59, the 21-time Tour winner will try to qualify for his first U.S. Open since 2012. Love has played in two PGA Tour events this season. He withdrew after an opening 82 at the Valero and missed the cut at the Heritage. 

‍Brian Stuard: Stuard makes the list for his record at Springfield Country Club. He has played final qualifying at this course a dozen times and made it through seven times. A player in the field asked me how many spots were available, and I said, “Probably eight, but really seven because Brian Stuard is in the field.”

‍PGA Tour winners in the field:

‍Ryan Brehm

Robert Garrigus

Nick Hardy (check out his amazing SWAG Tour bag)

Troy Merritt

Scott Piercy

J.J. Spaun

Robert Streb

‍Storylines

‍PJ Maybank: My northern Michigan bias comes into play here as this recent high school graduate lives in the small town of Cheboygan, just miles from the Upper Peninsula. Despite the long winters Maybank is a real player. This year he won the Azela Championship, a top amateur event by 11, setting the all-time scoring record. He also won local U.S. Open qualifying in some terrible weather and was the only player under par. He will play for Oklahoma in the fall. 

‍Austin Greaser: He just completed his final year at North Carolina and is the fourth-ranked amateur in the world. 

‍Jay Jurecic: A middle school teacher in Michigan for years, Jurecic would spend his summers playing (and playing well) on the Dakotas Tour and other mini-tours around the country. After turning 50 last year, he left his teaching job and has been chasing the Champions Tour since. 

‍Jordan Hahn: If he qualifies, he will be the tallest player in the U.S. Open field. Hahn stand 6-foot-9. 

‍James Piot: The 2021 U.S. Amateur champion looks to return to the U.S. Open after missing the cut last year. Piot briefly led the LIV event in Washington, D.C., last week during the first round. 

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Other notables in the field:

‍MJ Daffue

Thomas Detry- Highest ranked player in the field, currently 87th in OWGR

Beau Hossler

Willie Mack III

Max McGreevy

Taylor Pendrith

Sam Stevens

Dylan Wu

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Link to scoring/tee times: https://www.miamivalleygolf.org/events/event-pages/usga/us-open-final/tee-times-7824.html

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