SAN FRANCISCO — Monday marked “Golf’s Longest Day” as nine sites throughout America and Canada hosted 36-hole USGA Final Qualifying for the remaining spaces in the 122nd annual United States Open Golf Championship, scheduled to run from June 16-19 at The Country Club just outside Boston.
Nearly 900 elite golfers were trying to secure the 65 available spots into the National Open. While making it through the qualifying route is no guarantee of success in the upcoming U.S. Open, there have been a handful of occasions when qualifiers have captured the Open title.
The West Coast’s Final Qualifying site was San Francisco’s Olympic Club. A field of 84 golfers teed it up at the Ocean Course, the top five advancing to the Open. William Mouw, an amateur golfer who was an integral part of Pepperdine University’s 2021 NCAA championship team, led the way at Olympic by carding rounds of 67-63 for a most impressive total of 12-under-par 130.
Charles Reiter, another amateur golfer who plays for the University of San Diego, finished in second place with a 7-under-par total after posting scores of 66-69 for 135.
The final three spots went to Luke Gannon, Taylor Montgomery and Jesse Mueller, all golf professionals who posted aggregate scores of 6-under-par 136. Gannon is a former Southern Illinois University golfer who is a Canadian Tour regular. He shot 68-68. Montgomery is on the Korn Ferry Tour, golf’s version of AAA competition. Montgomery, who is from Las Vegas and the golf coach at Grand Canyon University, recorded scores of 67-69. The 39-year-old secured his place at The Country Club with rounds of 69-67.
One stroke out of qualifying was Sacramento’s Spencer Levin, a PGA Tour regular, who shot 70-67 for a 5-under-par total of 137. Levin is the first alternate. Another PGA Tour golfer of note, Maverick McNealy, finished at 1-under-par after shooting 70-71.
DeLaSalle High School junior Jaden Dumdumaya shot 76-67 for a 1-over-par 143. It has been as busy three weeks for Dumdumaya and his DeLaSalle teammates who won the North Coast Section’s TOC at Lone Tree, then won the NorCals the following week at Berkeley Country Club (Mira Vista) before capturing the California State High School CIF Golf title last Wednesday at San Gabriel Country Club.
Former Middletown High School standout Doug Quinones had to withdraw after five holes at the Olympic Club on Monday. Quinones got into Final Qualifying at the Tucson site five weeks ago, but in the interim Quinones has been suffering from a wrist injury. Recent visits to the doctor have been unable to improve his situation and Quinones feared further injury to his wrist by continuing play at Olympic. He may need surgery on his wrist in the near future.
At the other eight sites on Monday there was the usual amount of winners and losers of note. For instance, Rickie Fowler was unable to get through Final Qualifying at Jupiter, Florida, missing by one stroke while being relegated to alternate status. At the same site, Sean Jacklin of Scotland was able to advance. Jacklin is the son of former U.S. Open and British Open champ Tony Jacklin. However, some of those name golfers such as Levin and Fowler may still find a way into next week’s U.S. Open. Both men are first alternate’s from their site and there will be some withdrawals from the field in the next week or so. Tiger Woods has already announced that he will withdraw from the National Open because of leg pain, which means another spot is available to those golfers who were part of “Golf’s Longest Day.”
