Thirty-seven junior golfers will put pegs in the ground on Monday, June 5, in an attempt to qualify for the 117th US Open at Erin Hills. Below are profiles of each of the juniors that will compete in the 10 sectional qualifiers. The number of spots in each qualifier has not been finalized for a ticket to the second golf major in Erin, Wis., June 15-18. Those will be listed with the final field size of each qualifier on Monday.
Sectional qualifying is conducted over 36 holes and live scoring will be available at http://www.usopen.com/qualifying/sectional.html. You can also follow along on Twitter @usopengolf and #USOpen.
Big Canyon Country Club & Newport Beach Country Club
Newport Beach, Calif.
Projecting 5 spots
Connor Brown of Los Angeles, CA is an uncommitted 2018 prospect.
Edwin Kuang, 15, of Murrieta, Calif., was the second-youngest competitor in last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club. He shot a 69 to earn co-medalist honors in U.S. Open local qualifying at Andalusia Country Club, in La Quinta, Calif. Kuang is a sophomore on the Murrieta Valley High School team. He has committed to play college golf at the University of Oregon as part of their 2019 signing class.
Daniel Pearson of Longmont, CO is a 2017 signee of the University of Nebraska.
Charles Reiter of Palm Desert, CA is a 2018 verbal commit for the University of Southern California.
Tyler Ward of Ripon, CA is an uncommitted 2018 prospect.
Jupiter Hills Club (Hills Course)
Tequesta, Fla.
Projecting 3 spots
Garrett Barber of West Palm Beach, FL is a 2018 verbal commit to LSU.
Tyler Carlson of Bradenton, FL is an uncommitted 2017 prospect.
Canon Claycomb, 15, of Orlando, Fla., is one of five 15-year-olds in U.S. Open sectional qualifying. He splits time between Bowling Green, Ky., and Florida. He has played on the Greenwood High School team in Bowling Green since fourth grade. He led the team to a second-place finish at the KHSAA state championship last October when he tied for second. Claycomb won the 2015 Teen World Championship at Pinehurst No. 8 with a 54-hole score of 8-under 208. Canon is a top 2020 prospect that is being recruited heavily by colleges throughout the entire country.
Eugene Hong, 17, of Orlando, Fla., advanced to the semifinal round of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in both 2015 and 2016. He lost to eventual champion Min Woo Lee, 1 up, last year. Hong, who is a junior at Circle Christian School, won the 2016 FHSAA State Class 1A Championship and was the runner-up in 2014. He was also the runner-up in the 2015 FSGA Boys’ Junior (ages 13-15). Nicknamed "The Machine", Eugene will sign with the University of Florida as part of their 2018 recruiting class.
Andrew Kozan of West Palm Beach, FL is a 2017 graduate that has signed with Auburn University.
Joaquin Niemann, 18, of Chile, rose to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking this spring. He won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the AJGA Sergio Garcia Foundation Junior. Niemann also tied for second in the 2017 Latin America Amateur Championship, losing on the second playoff hole. Niemann advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2016 U.S. Amateur and the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur. Joaquin has signed to play college golf with the University of South Florida starting next fall.
Calvin Sierota of Melbourne, FL is a 2018 verbal commit for Florida State University
Jonathan Yaun of Minneola, FL is an uncommitted 2018 prospect.
Hawks Ridge Golf Club
Ball Ground, Ga.
Projecting 2 spots
Akshay Bhatia, 15, of Wake Forest, N.C., competed in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at age 12 in 2014. He and partner Grayson Wotnosky qualified for this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and advanced to match play. Bhatia, who is home-schooled, finished seventh in the 2016 North Carolina Amateur. His older sister, Rhea, is a sophomore on the Queens University of Charlotte golf team. Akshay is another top prospect in the class of 2020. Originally from Southern California, he is being recruited by schools from coast-to-coast.
Tim Bunten of Concord, NC is a 2017 signee of East Carolina.
Jacob Penny of Valrico, FL is a 2017 Florida Southern signee.
Woodmont Country Club (North Course)
Rockville, Md.
Projecting 3 spots
Michael Brennan, 15, of Leesburg, Va., is the youngest player in 2017 U.S. Open sectional qualifying (born 2-9-02). As a freshman on the Tuscarora High School team, he finished fifth in the Virginia 5A State Championship and was the medalist at the Conference 14 and 5A North Region tournaments. Brennan qualified for last year’s Virginia State Amateur. The 2020 college prospect is uncommitted.
Connor Burgess of Lynchburg, VA is a 2017 Virginia Tech signee.
Joe Parrini of York, PA is a verbal commit to Arizona for 2018.
Mason Williams of Bridgeport, WV is an uncommitted 2018 prospect.
Teddy Zinsner of Alexandria, VA is a 2017 Yale signee.
Springfield Country Club
Springfield, Ohio
Projecting 4 spots
Justin Choi of Northfield, IL is a 2017 University of San Diego signee.
Austin Greaser, 16, of Vandalia, Ohio, survived a 9-for-4 playoff in local qualifying when he birdied the first hole at Kearney Hills Golf Club, in Lexington, Ky. Greaser, a sophomore on the Vandalia-Butler High team, made birdies on holes 17 and 18 to shoot a 1-under 71 and get into the playoff. He lives 26 miles from Springfield Country Club. Greaser is an uncommitted 2019 college prospect
Luke Kluver, 16, of Norfolk, Neb., is believed to be the first Nebraska high school golfer to reach U.S. Open sectional qualifying since Tom Sieckmann in 1972. Kluver (who will turn 17 on June 3) won the 2016 NSAA Class A state title by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. His mother, Michelle, was All-Big Eight Conference and an NCAA regional qualifier for the University of Nebraska (1993-96). Kluver has verbally committed to play golf for the University of Nebraska in the class of 2019.
Lakewood Country Club
Dallas, Texas
Projecting 3 spots
Noah Goodwin, 16, of Corinth, Texas, was the runner-up to Min Woo Lee in the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. He advanced to match play in the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Amateurs. Goodwin, one of six 16-year-olds in 2017 U.S. Open sectional qualifying, has the same swing coach (Cameron McCormick) as 2015 U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth. Goodwin is a 2018 verbal commit to Southern Methodist University.
Cole Hammer, 17, of Houston, Texas, was the third-youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open when he played at Chambers Bay in 2015. He advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur and reached match play in the 2015 U.S. Amateur. Hammer, who was chosen 2016 Southern Texas PGA Amateur of the Year and had elbow surgery last fall, tied for second in the Azalea Invitational on April 2. Hammer will be heading to Austin, TX to play college golf for the University of Texas in 2018.
Harrison Hineline of Boerne, TX is an uncommitted 2018 prospect.
Walker Lee of Houston has signed with Texas A&M for their 2017 class.
Jackson Solem of Longmont, CO is a 2017 Denver University signee.
Shuai Ming (Ben) Wong, 17, of the People’s Republic of China, captured the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Frankie Capan on May 31 on Pinehurst No. 2, rallying to defeat Clark Collier and Kyle Hudelson, 2 and 1, in the final match. Wong reached the Round of 32 in the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, and he also qualified for last year’s U.S. Amateur. Wong, a junior at The John Cooper School, was born in Hong Kong but moved to Beijing at age 6. In 2015, Wong won the Shell Houston Open Junior Championship by 12 strokes. Wong joins Goodwin as a member the 2018 commits for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University.
Brookside Golf & Country Club & Lakes Golf & Country Club
Columbus, Ohio
Drew Alexander of McCordsville, IN is a 2017 signee of Valparaiso.
Jason Li of Sewickley, PA is an unsigned 2017 prospect.
Germantown Country Club & Ridgeway Country Club
Memphis, Tenn.
Will Brooks of Cookeville, TN signed with Tennessee Tech as a member of their 2017 class.
Drew Miller of Memphis, TN is a 2020 commitment for the Ole Miss Rebels.
Davis Shore of Knoxville, TN has signed with Alabama in their 2017 class.
Tacoma Country & Golf Club
Lakewood, Wash.
RJ Manke of Lakewood, WA is a 2017 Pepperdine signee.
Canoe Brook Country Club (North and South Courses)
Summit, N.J.
Jonathan Elkins of South Deerfield, MA is an uncommitted 2020 prospect.
USGA Communications contributed content to this article
