7. Qualifying streaks set up major opportunities
In June, 28-year-old Stewart Hagestad qualified for his third consecutive U.S. Open the hard way, which is to say that he advanced through local and sectional qualifying.
Rewind to 2017, when he played the U.S. Open as the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. The USGA did not yet award an Open berth for that accomplishment so still had to make it through qualifying. In June 2019, Hagestad became the first player to accomplish the qualifying hat trick since Jay Sigel, who qualified for three straight as an amateur from 1983-1985.
Interestingly, Stanford graduate Brandon Wu also qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, though it was his first successful run through qualifying. Wu became not only the first amateur in this decade to qualify for both Opens in the same calendar year, but the first to do so since Joe Carr in 1967.