The Road to the U.S. Open: Ohio State

Host Course

The Scarlet Course at Ohio State will be a stern test for the field. Alister MacKenzie designed the course in 1931 but died before it was built. Perry Maxwell oversaw the construction of the course, which opened in 1938. It was redesigned by OSU alumnus Jack Nicklaus in 2006. Nicklaus did the project for $1. The par-71 stretches to nearly 7500 yards and has a rating of over 76. 

Most decorated players in the field

Padraig Harrington- The 52-year-old and three-time Major winner played the U.S. Open last year for the first time in ten years and finished T27. He earned the start after winning the U.S. Senior Open. Harrington has 15 European Tour win and missed the cut at the PGA Championship last month. 

Brendon Todd- The former Georgia Bulldog is having another very solid year and has made 12 of 14 cuts with two top-10 finishes this year. Todd struggled for years with the full shot yips, including a three-year stretch that saw him make just five of 42 cuts. With the help of a swing and mental coach, Todd had a career resurgence in 2020 and has won twice. Since, he’s continued playing well. 

Luke List- The two-time PGA Tour winner is having a very good year, including a runner-up at the Genesis, and sits 59th in points. Both of List’s wins came via playoffs; he beat Will Zalatoris at the 2022 Farmers and won a five-player playoff at the 2023 Sanderson Farms. List has played the U.S. Open seven times and has yet to make a cut. 

Other PGA Tour Winners in the field

Andrew Putnam

Bo Van Pelt

Jhonattan Vegas

Kevin Tway

Seamus Power

KH Lee

Storylines

Name Game—The field will have three players with the first name Jack, three with the first name Luke, and two players named Sam Saunders. One Sam Saunders, who I call “Iced Team Sam,” is the grandson of the legendary Arnold Palmer. The second Sam Saunders is a decorated mini-tour player who has won numerous state opens and played on the Korn Ferry Tour. 

OSU Alumni- The former Buckeyes will have an advantage over the rest of the field having played the Scarlet Course countless times. Jamie Sindelar is the son of PGA Tour winner Joey and in the field. Will Grimmer, who just Monday Q’d for his first KFT event of the year last week, is there. Jared Jones, the Director of Instruction at River Oaks, is in the field. Jones caddied for Nicklaus the first time Nicklaus played the Scarlet Course after his redesign. Jones played in his second PGA Championship last month and missed the cut. 

Sean McCarty is an Iowa legend who won the Iowa PGA Section Player of the Year 11 times. He has won the Iowa Open four times, qualified for two U.S. Opens, and played in two PGA Championships, the last in 2022. He was inducted into the Iowa Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2019. The 51-year-old missed the cut last week at the Senior PGA Championship

Other Notables in the field 

Justin Lower, Hayden Buckley, Clay Feagler, Fred Wedel, Vince Whaley, Wyatt Worthington II. 

Full Field

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