Bowling Green, KY (May 18, 2023) – Blain Turner, Patrick Martin, Connor McNeely, William Nottingham,  and Billy Tom Sargent are on to the next round of US Open Qualifying. Those five players advanced through Kentucky’s sole Local Qualifier for the third men’s major of the year at the Club at Olde Stone on Wednesday.

More than 90 players teed off at the Bowling Green venue on Tuesday playing for one of the five spots that were allocated to the qualifier. Play was suspended on Tuesday due to darkness and resumed Wednesday with a handful of players left to finish their round. Turner and Martin took advantage of early tee times carding the only two under-par rounds for the day.

Turner, a Tennessee native, fired a 69 (-3) which was good enough for medalist honors. He got off to a slow start with a bogey on the first, seven pars, and a birdie. The back nine is when Turner caught some fire, finishing with three birdies in his last five holes. Martin, hailing from Alabama, had a little bit of an interesting scorecard for the qualifier. He carded a 71 (-1) with five birdies and four bogeys, four of those birdies came on the back nine alone.

The last three spots needed a playoff to determine who would be the recipients of the last available spots. Five players shot 72 (E) which sent McNeely, Nottingham, Sargent, Clay Pendergrass, and Billy Basham to extra holes in a five-for-three sudden-death contest.

The playoff began on the challenging opening hole at Olde Stone where Nottingham, another Tennessee product, sealed the first spot. He was the only player to make birdie and did so after sinking a thirty-foot birdie putt from the front of the green. This clutch putt would ensure his spot to Final Qualifying when his combatants finished with three pars and a bogey.

That left three players vying for two spots and the par-four 9th was their next stop. Sargent and McNeely each made conservative bogeys, but it was enough to move on when Pendergrass was unable to match them and a double bogey for the Kentucky local eliminated him from contention. As a result, Pendergrass is the first alternate for Final Qualifying while Basham will be the second alternate.

But for the six now planning a trip for Final Qualifying, they can prepare for 36 holes of golf at one of the sites set to host players from across the globe looking to compete in the national open. The list of those Final Qualifying sites can be found by clicking here.

NOTES & STATS

• If qualifying wasn’t enough, Nottingham had the best nine-hole score of the day with 32 (-4) on the back nine. Nottingham got off to a rocky start making the turn at 40 (+4). He rallied with a bogey-free 32 to make his way into the playoff.
• Only three eagles were made during the competition with two coming on the par-five 11th. Michael Nagy holed out for a two on the par-four 14th for the third eagle.
• The 14th took the crown for the easiest hole relative to par for the day with an average of -0.18 strokes under par.
• The par-four first held true to its course rating finishing at .93 strokes over par. One lone birdie, 38 pars, and 41 bogeys or worse contributed to a stroke average of 4.93.

Click here to view the final results

The Kentucky Golf Association extends its thanks to Kevin Childers, PGA Head Golf Professional, and the entire staff at The Club at Olde Stone for their assistance in conducting our Local Qualifier. Additionally, the KGA lends its appreciation to each player who competed in today’s event.

The next tournament on the KGA’s schedule is our second installment of the Amateur Series set to take place at Woodhaven Country Club on May 23rd. Additionally, qualifiers for the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur have begun and will continue until June 2nd.

About the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.