Woods will make his 23rd U.S. Open start and first since 2020, when he missed the cut at Winged Foot.
The week of Tiger Woods continues.
A day after his Sun Day Red brand was made available to the public – which he promoted on various talk shows – the United States Golf Association announced on Thursday that Woods was receiving a special exemption to play the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, June 13-16.
While the PGA Championship and Masters offer lifetime exemptions to past champions, the U.S. Open does not. Woods is currently No. 789 in the Offical World Golf Ranking, and his five-year exemption after his 2019 Masters victory has run out.
The 48-year-old will make his 23rd U.S. Open start this year and first since 2020, when he missed the cut at Winged Foot. Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion in 2000 (Pebble Beach), 2002 (Bethpage Black) and 2008 (Torrey Pines) and has finished inside the top 10 eight times.
So far this year Woods has withdrawn from his Genesis Invitational and finished 60th at the Masters, where he set the all-time record for consecutive cuts made at Augusta National. Woods is also expected to play the 2024 PGA Championship later this month, May 16-19, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
The youngest entrant this year is 12-year-old Beck Patrick, while the oldest is 74-year-old Keith Crimp.
For the third time in history, the United States Golf Association has accepted more than 10,000 entries for the U.S. Open.
Golf’s governing body in the States announced Thursday that 10,052 entries have been accepted for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, June 13-16. All 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and 70 countries will be represented in qualifying for this year’s championship.
The record for entries was set last year when 10,187 were accepted for the championship at Los Angeles Country Club. The second-most entries were accepted in 2014 (10,127), the last time the U.S Open was held at Pinehurst No. 2.
“The U.S. Open’s two-stage qualifying process is unique among major championships in that it provides thousands of professional and amateur golfers worldwide an opportunity to earn a place in the 156-player field,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. “The USGA is excited to once again showcase Pinehurst Resort and Country Club’s Course No. 2 while welcoming fans to what has become the home of American golf.”
Local qualifying will take place April 22-May 20 and feature 18 holes of play at 109 sites across 44 states and Canada. Players who advance will join a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. and three international sites on May 20 and June 3 (location depending). Eligible players must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 or be a professional.
The youngest entrant this year is 12-year-old Beck Patrick from Houston. Keith Crimp, a 74-year-old amateur from Ellensburg, Washington, is the oldest entrant.
There are currently 52 golfers who are already fully exempt into the 2024 U.S. Open, including past champions Wyndham Clark (2023), Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Jon Rahm (2021), Bryson DeChambeau (2020), Gary Woodland (2019), Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018), Dustin Johnson (2016), Jordan Spieth (2015) Martin Kaymer (2014), Rory McIlroy (2011), and Lucas Glover (2009).
There are 14 local qualifying sites in California, the most of any state. Florida is second with 13 local qualifiers.
On Monday the United States Golf Association announced the local and final qualifying sites for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, June 13-16, 2024.
Online player registration begins on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at champs.usga.org and will continue through Wednesday, April 13. Players must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4, or be a professional.
There will be 109 local qualifying sites across the United States and Canada, April 22-May 20. For the 45th consecutive year, Illini Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, will hold a U.S. Open qualifier. Riverton (Wyoming) Country Club and Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert, California, will host local qualifying for the 26th and 23rd years, respectively. There are 14 local qualifying sites in California, the most of any state. Florida is second with 13 local qualifiers.
Players who advance from 18-hole local qualifiers will join a group of exempt players in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes. International final stages will be held in England and Japan (May 20) and Canada (June 3). Nine final qualifiers in the U.S. will end on June 3, with one set for May 20. One local qualifying site in Texas and Massachusetts will be added at a later date.
The USGA accepted a record 10,187 entries for the 2023 championship at Los Angeles Country Club. The previous mark of 10,127 entries was established for the 2014 championship held at Pinehurst No. 2. The famed course in the Carolina sandhills, now an anchor site for the USGA, is hosting for a fourth time this year and will also host in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047.
Check out the dates and locations for all 2024 U.S. Open local and final qualifying sites below.
Three major championship invitations are on the line.
The 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship is set to get underway Thursday in Panama City, Panama.
The event was created in 2014 as a joint initiative between Augusta National Golf Club (host of the Masters), the U.S. Golf Association (U.S. Open) and The R&A (Open Championship). Notable alumni include Fred Biondi, Nico Echavarria, Sebastian Munoz, Joaquin Niemann, Alvaro Ortiz, Raul Pereda, Mito Pereira and Alejandro Tosti.
The championship returns for the second time to Panama, which hosted the third edition in 2017 at Club de Golf de Panama.
Here’s everything you need to know for the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship, including notables in the field and TV information.
There are some fantastic venues on the slate for 2024.
Another busy year is on tap for the United States Golf Association in 2024, and several of the organization’s biggest events are headed to the best golf courses in the world.
On the men’s side, Wyndham Clark claimed the U.S. Open title at Los Angeles Country Club in California in 2023. Next year, the best male players in the world will take on historic Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Martin Kaymer won the last U.S. Open staged at No. 2 (2014).
As for the women, Allisen Corpuz won the first-ever U.S. Women’s Open staged at Pebble Beach Golf Links. In 2024, the ladies are headed to Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.
Here are all 17 of the USGA’s events on the 2024 calendar. And here are all the trophies the USGA hands out at its championships.
“We really hope for a firm and fast U.S. Open come June.”
PINEHURST, N.C. — They say there’s never a bad day at Pinehurst, especially if you’re walking around course No. 2, the famed masterpiece of renowned architect Donald Ross.
The gem in the sandhills of North Carolina will play host to its fourth U.S. Open next summer (1999, 2005, 2014), and the folks at the United States Golf Association recently held an early preview for its flagship championship.
“We are comfortable that Pinehurst will provide the test of golf that has always provided,” said course setup lead Jeff Hall. “If Martin Kaymer hadn’t entered in 2014 we’d have had a really competitive championship, but he played brilliantly.”
“We’re not trying to play defense with the players,” he added. “This golf course, when it’s firm and fast, you can have some scary wedge shots. Even if it was shorter, there’s still some pretty scary wedge shots here.”
From fairways and tricky greens to new grass and hospitality venues, here’s what players and fans should expect to see when they step on the property for the 2024 U.S. Open, June 13-16, at Pinehurst No. 2.
No. 2 will look and play as it was designed
When Pinehurst worked with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to restore the course in 2010 and 2011, the team removed 35 acres of Bermuda rough and replaced it with nearly 250,000 wire grass plants so the course would look and play the way Ross originally intended. To get it as close as possible, images from 1948-1962 were used.
Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina (Courtesy of Pinehurst Resort)
No. 2 is a unique test of golf for a U.S. Open due to its sandy areas in lieu of ankle-deep rough. If players miss the short green grass, they’ll have to deal with the elements. Fairway widths are 34-45 yards at No. 2, which differs from, say, Winged Foot or The Country Club where 24-32 yards is the norm. The diabolical turtleback putting greens make fairway placement all the more important.
“Thinking back to 2014, this was a really difficult U.S. Open to play,” said former Tour pro and current USGA Senior Director of Player Relations Scott Langley. “I say that as a guy who finished in 63rd place, wasn’t as difficult for Martin Kaymer. The thing that’s difficult about Pinehurst No. 2 is the putting greens and surrounds. The greens are very difficult to hit, so you’re often faced with a variety of shots around the greens to recover.”
When you think of a missed green at a U.S. Open, tall, lush rough comes to mind. At Pinehurst, you can play any number of clubs to get up and down to save par. Bump-and-run with an iron. A perfectly nipped wedge. Maybe a hybrid instead of a putter. The course allows for a certain level of creativity that most championship venues lack. It introduces uncertainty for players, which is when things get interesting.
“It provides a mental challenge as much as a physical one,” added Langley. “No matter what club you end up choosing or what shot you decide to play, you always have a little bit of doubt in your mind if it’s the right one because of the presence of so many options.”
As if golf wasn’t hard enough already. But that’s why it’s the U.S. Open, known as the toughest test in golf.
Key corner of the course
If you’ve been to No. 2, you’ll know the area on the front nine that features No. 3 green, No. 4 tee, No. 5 green and No. 6 tee. Come next summer, the section of the course will be a fan-favorite to watch a lot of golf, especially if No. 3 is drivable.
The short par-4 3rd hole is gettable no matter where the tee is, but the challenge increases with the sloping fairway of the par-4 4th. Players will get a breather with the par-5 5th before they’re faced with arguably the toughest test of the front nine, the tricky par-3 6th hole.
The fifth hole on Pinehurst No. 2. (Photo: Tracy Wilcox/Golfweek)
In 2014, Martin Kaymer played No. 3 and No. 5 at 6 under par and finished the championship at 9 under. He drove the green on No. 3 on both days the tee was up and two-putted for birdie. He played No. 5 at 4 under thanks to a pair of birdies and an eagle.
“You could hear some roars in this part of the world,” Hall predicted.
When it comes to set up and yardage tee to green, the course will be very similar to what fans and players saw in 2014. The real difference is the surface of the putting greens. The 2014 championship and all the previous championships (as far as the USGA knows) were played on bentgrass. The 2024 championship will be played on Bermuda grass.
The change from Creeping Bentgrass to Ultradwarf Bermuda grass provides a different perspective for the tournament crew when preparing for a U.S. Open.
“It gives us a lot more flexibility because the temperatures are ramping up, nighttime, daytime, sunlight, everything that works against the cool season grasses that time of year are in our favor for the Ultradwarf Bermuda grass,” said Pinehurst superintendent John Jeffreys.
“It allows us more options for managing firmness,” added Darin Bevard, Senior Director of Championship Agronomy. “I just hope that Mother Nature cooperates in June that we’re having this conversation about firmness and not about fixing wash outs and bunkers. We really hope for a firm and fast U.S. Open come June.”
Outside the ropes
The course is a masterpiece inside the ropes, but the USGA believes the same to be true outside the ropes. The resort is an ideal venue logistically, and the staff has a proven plan for what works and what doesn’t.
In order to improve on past successes, the USGA is keying in on two aspects: getting fans closer to the action and elevating the overall fan experience. The answer is different product offerings from the gallery ticket all the way up to the most premium hospitality stand.
A grandstand left of the 18 green with the clubhouse in the background has been a staple for U.S. Opens at Pinehurst. Next year, the grandstand will be integrated with a premium hospitality experience called the 1895 Club, the highest-end experience on-site. The club comes with valet parking, shuttles, and the best food and beverage offerings with the 18th green as entertainment.
“That’s certainly going to be something we’re excited about and something that’s going to feel and look very different,” said Leighton Schwob, the USGA’s Senior Director of Operations.
Pinehurst is going through a full renovation of the lower floor of the resort building, which is where a lot of player facilities will be. A tunnel from the locker room up to the first tee for players is also being built and should be completed by the end of the year. The resort’s driving range will be more of a fan area next summer, as the USGA anticipates more than 250,000 fans will be in attendance for the week.
The course will shut down near Memorial Day, but facilities will be built beginning in March. So don’t fret, there’s still plenty of time to go play before the pros.
