West Des Moines’ Grant Smith (right) and Norwalk’s Dennis Bull qualified for the 123rd U.S. Amateur to be contested at Cherry Hills Country Club, Colorado. Smith was medalist outright at (-3) 139, while Bull (-2) qualified after a four-way playoff which took three holes to be decided.

The qualifier, contested at Coldwater Golf Links, Ames, featured golfers from numerous states. Whippy morning winds and firm conditions made for some of the most difficult play Coldwater has seen, evoking comparisons by a player to the Scottish links, and the grueling 36 holes tested competitors’ stamina.

Smith carded a first round (-1) 70 to keep himself in the mix. Most importantly, he felt comfortable with his shot selections going into the afternoon, despite the strong winds.

“I hit the right shots the first round, just didn’t make as many putts,” Smith said, explaining how he hit an 8 iron when 210 yards out on Hole 7 before subsequently hitting an 8 iron when 120 yards out on Hole 8. “Strategy was a big part [of my success]. I kept the ball in front of me and kept shots around the green going into the wind.”

In the afternoon, strong putting helped Smith to a superb 4-under first nine, helping him to finish -2 on the round and -3 on the day.

Smith commented he is excited to head to Colorado to compete in his first U.S. Amateur.

On the other hand, this was not Dennis Bull’s (right) first rodeo. Having qualified for the U.S. Amateur the previous two years, his experience showed when the second qualifying spot came down to a four person playoff. Ottumwa’s Cale Leonard, West Des Moines’ Braeden Nelson, and Clive’s Ryan Horner joined Bull in the four-for-one playoff, as if 36 holes wasn’t enough for the day. After Nelson and Horner were eliminated on the first playoff hole, Bull and Leonard tied on the second playoff hole, but Bull won decisively with a birdie on the third hole.

While happy to advance, Bull was more than ready to call it a day.

“Don’t make me walk too far,” he warned as we headed to take his photograph.

Bull will join Smith at Cherry Hills for his third straight U.S. Amateur.

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The U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier on June 12, at Ames Golf and Country Club ended in a three-way shootout for the two entries into the U.S. Junior Amateur. Noah Kent (right), of Naples, FL, and Ethan Blomme, of Bettendorf, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, to be contested July 24-29 at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC.

Kent, Blomme, and Oak Grove’s Peyton Savageau all finished the single-round tournament 3-under, navigating heavy late-morning winds. The three way playoff began on hole 7, and University of Iowa commit Kent wasted no time. A strong drive and an approach to within a few feet gave Kent a tap-in birdie. With pars from Blomme and Savageau, Kent punched his golden ticket to the Junior Amateur. Blomme, a rising junior at Pleasant Valley High School, took home the second ticket after a par on the second playoff hole, #8.

Kent and Blomme (left), who both started the day on hole 10, capitalized on calmer first nine conditions. Kent scored birdies on 16, 17, and 18 and Blomme birdied 15, 16, 17, 18. After an unsatisfactory start, Blomme got his putter rolling.

“I made a really good 30-footer for par on #14 and then rolled four straight in,” Blomme said. “The back nine started playing really tough just with the wind. [. . .] Just grinded it out, you know, when I made a bogey I got it back with a birdie.”

Blomme knew he had to go low if he wanted a shot at qualifying, but believed the wind worked in his favor.

“Scores will be higher with this wind,” he said. “I feel like I’m a good wind player, being from Iowa, so the more and more it becomes windy I feel like the better shot I’ve got.”

Kent and Blomme look forward to one of junior golf’s biggest tournaments, where names like Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth have left their legacy.

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University of Iowa alumnus Alex Schaake qualified for the U.S. Open after a nerve wracking 8-hole playoff at the U.S. Open Final Qualifying at Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ohio. Monday, coined “Golf’s Longest Day” by the USGA, featured numerous 36-hole Final Qualifiers around the country, where some of the best amateur and professional golfers looked to secure their spot in the U.S. Open to be held at Los Angeles Country Club later this summer.

Schaake (right), an Omaha, Nebraska native, had a prolific amateur and collegiate career. In high school Schaake was a two-time Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion, continuing in college to win four-straight Nebraska Amateur titles, and holds the second-most wins in Nebraska Golf Association tournaments ever. He was the only Hawkeye to be voted Big Ten Player of the Year twice, only Hawkeye to be all-conference all four years, holds the lowest season scoring average yet, and holds three of the top four lowest 54-hole totals in university history.

The road to the U.S. Open wasn’t easy for Schaake. Before yesterday’s 44-hole marathon, he scraped his way through local qualifiers by birdieing his final three holes last month at Omaha Country Club. A 2-under first round at Springfield Country Club kept Schaake in contention, but it was a stellar second round that propelled Schaake to his playoff berth. One eagle and five birdies, four of which in the back nine alone, rounded out a 5-under 65 and a three-way tie for fourth in the standings.

He joined Dylan Wu and The Ohio State University’s Maxwell Moldovan in search of one of the two remaining spots. Wu clinched the first spot after birdieing the first playoff hole, but the battle between Schaake and Moldovan was only beginning. Matching scores for seven holes, Schaake finally broke away with a short birdie putt on the eighth hole to Moldovan’s par. It was a joyous scene as Schaake celebrated, clearly elated, in the dying evening light.

Schaake has earned his place at the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club (June 15-18) and the opportunity to compete with some of the best players in the world.

The challenge of qualifying for the U.S. Open awaits several players as they compete in the final U.S. Open qualifying round. The players named below are attempting to qualify for the 123rd U.S. Open to be played at Los Angeles Country Club, June 15-18. Final qualifying results and links are listed below.

Lambton Golf & Country Club – Toronto, Ontario

Hillcrest Country Club – Los Angeles, Calif.

Pine Tree Golf Club – Boynton Beach, Fla.

Hawks Ridge Golf Club – Ball Ground, Ga.

Woodmont C.C. (North Course) – Rockville, Md.

Canoe Brook Country Club – Summit, N.J.
– Lucas Scherf, Drake University / Pleasant Hill

Lakes Golf & Country Club/Brookside Golf & C.C. – Columbus, Ohio
– Nick Voke – Iowa State University
– Zach Johnson – Cedar Rapids / Drake University

Springfield C.C. – Springfield, Ohio
– Mac McClear – University of Iowa
– Alex Schaake – University of Iowa
– Jack Dumas – Drake University / LeClaire
– Troy Merritt – Osage

Old Chatham Golf Club – Durham, N.C.

Tacoma Country & Golf Club – Lakewood, Wash.

NOTE – Clinton’s Josh Bousman participated in Final Qualfying at Northwood Club and Bent Tree Country Club – Dallas, Texas, on May 22nd and did not advance

Changes to U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifying will be introduced in 2024

In an effort to continuously enhance and evolve the competitor experience, the USGA is announcing significant modifications to its amateur championship qualifying model for the first time in more than 20 years. These changes, which will take effect for the organization’s four premier amateur championships beginning in 2024, will allow the events to retain their openness while ensuring that high-caliber players are provided ample opportunity to earn a spot in the field and that qualifying can be conducted at the highest level among growing entries and field sizes.

“The openness and aspirational nature of our championships is a defining characteristic of USGA championships,” said Brent Paladino, senior director, Championship Administration. “As the number of entries and qualifying sites have continued to increase on a yearly basis, we looked at ways to evolve our structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of qualifying without excessively burdening Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) and host clubs. These revisions will provide players with additional pathways to our championships through traditional qualifying, expanded exemption categories and performance in state, AGA, regional and national amateur championships.”

In 2022, the USGA accepted 44,737 total entries and collaborated with AGAs to conduct a combined 678 qualifiers across 15 championships.

The most significant revisions for 2024 are to the U.S. Amateur, which will move from a one-stage, 36-hole qualifying format to a two-stage qualifying format with 45 18-hole local qualifying sites and 19 18-hole final qualifying sites. Other adjustments include:

• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
• Expansion of World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR) exemption category to top 100 ranked players (previously 50);
• Establishment of local exemptions, which include top finishers in USGA championships, state/AGA amateur championships and top 600 WAGR players.

Changes to the other championships’ qualifying structures are outlined below:

U.S. Women’s Amateur 

• Modest reduction in qualifying sites through the establishment of geographic rotations;
• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
• Expansion of WAGR exemption category to top 50 players (previously 25).

U.S. Junior Amateur / U.S. Girls’ Junior 

• Alignment of qualifying structure to encourage AGAs to conduct joint or concurrent qualifying;
• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national junior amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
• U.S. Junior Am expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 100 (previously 85);
• U.S. Girls’ Junior expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 50 (previously 40).

There will also be a lowering of Handicap Index® limits across all four championships and modifications to the performance policy that will be announced later. Determinations on the individual state, AGA, regional and national championships that will be part of the 2024 exemption criteria will be published prior to the release of entries for the respective championship.

The modifications will result in a net reduction of 94 qualifying sites, while providing more opportunities for players to earn a spot in a USGA championship through expanded exemptions, state/AGA amateur championships and traditional qualifying.

Entries for 2024 USGA amateur championships will open next spring. The 2024 U.S. Amateur will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.; the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.; while the 2024 Junior Amateur will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and the 2024 Girls’ Junior will be played at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.