Two major champions highlighted a field of US Open hopefuls Monday in Dallas with one advancing via a 36-hole qualifier and the other falling just short.
Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, shot consecutive rounds of 66 at Bent Tree Country Club and Northwood Club to tie for fourth place and advance at nine-under total. Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, played his last 11 holes in three over at Northwood to tie for 12th place and miss out on a playoff by one shot.
Eight players advanced to the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club. There was a five-for-two playoff for the remaining two spots.
Carson Young demolished the field shooting 63-62 for a 16-under-par total. He made 19 birdies and three bogeys during 36 holes. The 28-year-old finished his morning round at Bent Tree with six straight birdies, then opened his afternoon round at Northwood with six birdies in his first eight holes. He then started the back nine with five birdies in a six-hole stretch. His best finish on the PGA Tour this year is a third-place tie at the Puerto Rico Open. He’s finished inside the top 20 in three of his last four events.
Austin Eckroat finished in second place, five shots behind Young. Eckroat, who tied for second place two weeks ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson shot 64-66. Ben Grant was third, a shot behind Eckroat.
Garcia tied for fourth place at nine-under total with Paul Haley and Robert Sloan. Both Garcia and Sloan birdied the 36th hole to avoid having to participate in a playoff. Garcia made news last week by not playing in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. It was the first time he was not eligible to play in a major championship since 1999. He missed the 2020 Masters because he tested positive for COVID but was eligible to play at Augusta National as a past champion.
Hank Lebioda and Jacob Solomon solidified the last two positions when both made birdie on the first playoff hole in a five-way playoff with Trent Phillips, amateur Brian Stark and Michael Kim. Lebioda birdied his last five holes in a row just to get into the playoff, then advanced via the playoff birdie. Solomon hit a 54-degree wedge from 127 yards to two feet in the playoff for a tap-in birdie.
Earlier Monday, the USGA announced that Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the US Open, which was expected. The USGA also announced 33 more exemptions into next month’s field because of various qualifying categories. The eight players from Dallas join 84 others who were already exempt into the field.
There are 10 more 36-hole qualifiers throughout the US on June 5.
