Here are 10 storylines for 2023 U.S. Open final qualifying worth keeping an eye on
The longest day in golf is just around the corner as players are preparing to chase their spot in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angles Country Club, scheduled for June 15-18.
Final qualifying will be held over 36 holes, and 10 venues around the country (and Canada) are set to host some of the biggest names in the sport.
Members of the LIV Golf League who are not already exempt into the field will take part in the annual tradition. Some of those names include Harold Varner III, Marc Leishman, Brendan Steele, Carlos Ortiz and Matthew Wolff.
There are several PGA Tour players participating as well, including both 2023 Ryder Cup captains, Zach Johnson and Luke Donald.
Here are the 10 venues set to host final qualifying.
Lambton Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hillcrest Country Club, Los Angeles California
Pine Tree Golf Club, Boynton Beach, Florida
Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Georgia
Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Maryland
Canoe Brook Country Club (North & South Courses), Summit, New Jersey
Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham, North Carolina
Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
Springfield (Ohio) Country Club
Tacoma Country & Golf Club, Lakewood, Washington
Here are 10 players to keep your eye on Monday, June 5, as they try to earn their way into the 123rd U.S. Open.
Michael Block: Lambton Golf & Country Club
Michael Block stole America’s heart at the PGA Championship last month where he finished T-15, automatically earning a spot in the 2024 PGA. He was invited to compete at the Charles Schwab Challenge — he missed the cut — and the RBC Canadian Open.
Block has missed the cut in both of his U.S. Open appearances (2018, 2007).
Zach Johnson: Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club
Zach Johnson, currently ranked 247th in the Official World Golf Ranking, will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team later this year in Rome.
Johnson, a two-time major champion, tied for eighth in his last appearance at the U.S. Open (2021, Pebble Beach). He’s failed to finish inside the top 10 this season on Tour.
Luke Donald: Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club
Luke Donald hasn’t played great this season on Tour, with his best solo finish coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March (T-39).
Donald, the No. 441 golfer in the world, hasn’t played in the U.S. Open since 2019 (T-72). He’ll captain the European squad in Rome at the Ryder Cup.
Harold Varner III: Old Chatham Golf Club
HV3 tied for 29th at both major championships so far in 2023. The U.S. Open hasn’t been kind to the LIV Golf member throughout his career, as he’s missed the cut in all three of his appearances.
Varner won the most recent LIV Golf event in Washington D.C.
Cameron Kuchar: Pine Tree Golf Club
Cameron is the son of Matt Kuchar, and is just 15 years old. Matt is already exempt into the field and will play in his 20th U.S. Open.
Lucas Glover: Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club
Lucas Glover won the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. He’s a four-time winner on Tour, most recently at the 2021 John Deere Classic.
In 17 starts on Tour this season, Glover hasn’t finished inside the top 25 and has missed eight cuts.
Matthew Wolff: Pine Tree Golf Club
Wolff tied for 15th at Torrey Pines in 2021 after finishing runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau in 2020 at Winged Foot.
Now a member of LIV Golf, Wolff has two top-10 finishes on the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit this season. However, he hasn’t cracked the top 30 in his last four starts.
Gordon Sargent: Hawks Ridge Golf Club
Sargent missed the cut earlier this season at the Masters after earning a special exemption into the field. He’s currently the No.2-ranked amateur in the world.
Marc Leishman: Woodmont Country Club (North Course)
The Aussie hasn’t played in a major since the 2022 Open at St. Andrews, where he missed the cut. Leishman tied for 14th at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, last season a year after missing the cut at Torrey Pines.
His best finish on LIV Golf this season came in Singapore where he grabbed 16th.
Harry Higgs: Lambton Golf & Country Club
Higgs will try to turn around his season in Canada.
In 18 starts on Tour this season, Higgs has missed 10 cuts and his best finish came at the Puerto Rico Open, where he tied for seventh.
Higgs has yet to play in a U.S. Open.
