The US Open is arguably the most difficult of the four major championships in golf, but the route to reaching it is one of the more straightforward approaches. Many of the top players in the world earn spots through exemptions, but a significant portion of the 156-golfer field comes from qualifying.

Aspiring participants first must succeed in an 18-hole qualifier (those tournaments for 2022 began in late April), and if they do well there, a 36-hole, one-day test awaits. Two of these final qualifiers occurred on May 23, but the remaining nine were all on June 6. I’d read in the past of how players took part in a final qualifier, but I had never experienced it up close.

So that’s what I did Monday. I headed to Wedgewood Golf & Country Club in Powell, Ohio (which was co-hosting a qualifier with Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club) for a day of golf where a spot in a major championship was at stake. My goal was to follow one group in the morning, then a group in the afternoon session. Here’s my take on my first time experiencing the “Longest Day in Golf.”

Morning

As this qualifier was taking place the day after the Memorial Tournament, and just a few miles from Muirfield Village, there were several notable names set to take part. When I was looking through the morning tee times to find a group to follow, one name stuck out to me among the others. Danny Lee won his first PGA Tour event at the 2015 Greenbrier Classic, during my first summer in West Virginia. He was also a former USGA champion, winning the 2008 US Amateur at Pinehurst, so I followed him along with Hudson Swafford and Greg O’Mahony. All three seemed a little affected by the early start (7:30 AM), but once Lee became more comfortable with the course, he rattled off three straight birdies on the front nine, followed by three straight on the back nine. His first-round 65 would be one of the low rounds of the morning, and while he played more to par in his second round at Kinsale, his 36-hole score of 135 (-8) was good enough for one of the 13 spots available, and he will be in the field at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. O’Mahony posted even par in both rounds – including a very eventful first nine at Kinsale – while Swafford withdrew after 27 holes. Hopefully both golfers will have better luck in future years.

Afternoon

During the break in between sessions, I had a chance to look at how the Kinsale morning players fared. I’d noticed Denny McCarthy had posted a first-round score of -3, this coming just hours after recording a top-five finish at Muirfield Village. In the same group, Mitchell Ford had finished an even opening round, and was in contention going to Wedgewood (Major champion Padraig Harrington was originally going to be in this pairing as well, but he was scratched from the qualifier). McCarthy was able to pick up where he left off from his morning round, with birdies every other hole to start his first nine at Wedgewood. Not even two weather delays – one of 52 minutes and one of 100 minutes – slowed down his progress to a second-round total of 67 and a 36-hole score of -7. Ford, for the most part, played solid and mistake-free golf on Wedgewood’s 18; unfortunately for him, the few mistakes he did make were major contributors to a round of 76, meaning a score of +5 for the day. But Ford will have chances in the future to make a US Open, and many more significant tournaments.

Because of the rain delays, by the time McCarthy finished his second round shortly after 8:00 PM, it wasn’t immediately clear whether he had clinched a spot in the US Open field, though he was aware he was in very good shape. I was able to speak with him after his second round.

On how he felt Monday went: “It was a grind…..I was a little low on energy to start the day. Not knowing the courses, my caddie did a good job coming out here earlier last week to just take a look at them so we weren’t completely blind…..”

On how his strong performance at the Memorial gave him confidence entering Monday: “Playing well last week, I felt like I could play well at a US Open; it was nice to come out and free-wheel it today and get even more comfortable with the things I’m doing well with my game.”

On how he’ll get ready for the US Open: “I need to take a few days off, get some recovery for my body…..head up to Boston probably Sunday night or Monday.”

All of the Kinsale/Wedgewood golfers were able to finish 36 holes on Monday, so McCarthy knew that night he had a spot booked in the Brookline field. But because of the weather, five golfers would return to the course Tuesday for a playoff to determine the last of the 13 berths, plus the two alternates. The last automatic spot went to Hayden Buckley, while David Lingmerth and Adam Svensson will be the alternates.

Summary

So my first time experiencing the “Longest Day in Golf” was a positive one. Seeing golfers of various ages and backgrounds compete for a spot in the national championship reminded me of how golf, and sports in general, is something for everyone. I look forward to watching the US Open at Brookline, which begins June 16, to see if any of the Powell qualifiers can emerge with a major title.