Nearly 100 players entered to compete in Kentucky’s U.S. Open Local Qualifier.

LEXINGTON, KY (May 10, 2022) – A “who’s who” of top players within Kentucky are ready to try their hand in hopes of getting closer towards the third men’s major championship of 2022. The state’s sole Local Qualifier for the U.S. Open will take place on Wednesday, May 11 at Kearney Hill Golf Links where nearly 100 players will tee it up with each having dreams of getting to The Country Club at Brookline in mind.

Six competitors will leave Kearney Hill on Wednesday night with a spot in Final Qualifying secured. That stage represents the last step in qualifying for the country’s national open and will take place across the United States on Monday, June 6. There will also be two alternate spots for Final Qualifying determined by Wednesday’s competition at Kearney Hill. The format will be 18 holes of stroke play and if necessary, players tied for the automatic qualifying spots or alternate positions would take part in a sudden-death playoff to determine who will move on to the next stage, or be next in line to do so.

Those spots will be highly contested, with the following notable players among those who are eyeballing a trip to Final Qualifying. Their tee times for Wednesday are listed in parenthesis.

• Clay Amlung (11:40 a.m. EDT) – The Cincinnati Bearcat was one shot shy of winning the Kentucky Open last year at his home club of Persimmon Ridge. He was the championship’s low amateur nevertheless and produced an inspiring effort after being one of the last players to get in the field as an alternate.
• Jacob Cook (10:10 a.m.) – One of the leaders of UK men’s golf the last several seasons, Cook has positive memories at Kearney Hill having won the Lexington City Championship there in 2021. He was also the low amateur and runner-up in the 2020 Kentucky Open at Triple Crown Country Club.
• Luke Coyle (12:20 p.m.) – A top talent in the junior ranks, Coyle recently declared his intentions to play college golf for the Alabama Crimson Tide after he finishes high school in 2023. He had one of the top nine-hole runs of 2021 in Golf House Kentucky sanctioned competition when he shot 28 (-8) at University Club of Kentucky’s Big Blue course during the KGCA All-State Championship, where he won the individual title by four shots.
• Chip McDaniel (1:00 p.m.) – Perhaps the odds-on favorite to earn one of those six qualifying spots, the two-time Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur champion who has made a name for himself professionally will be in the field fresh off a T13 finish in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Huntsville Championship. He has made it through U.S. Open qualifying before, making it all the way to the 2019 championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links where he made the cut.
• Cayden Pope (8:20 a.m.) – The reigning victor of the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship made his debut on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this season where the soon-to-be high school senior held his own, making an eagle and several birdies at the LECOM Suncoast Classic.
• Andrew Stephens, PGA (8:10 a.m.) – The medalist of last year’s U.S. Open Local Qualifier in Kentucky, Stephens shot 62 (-10) at Cherry Blossom Golf Club which topped the runner-up by five shots. He won Golf House Kentucky Classic #1 presented by Mobile Pro Shop at Country Club of Paducah one month ago to get his 2022 season off to a fine start.
• Matthew Troutman (9:00 a.m.) – Set for his final summer as a junior golfer, the Oklahoma commit is coming off an incredible 2021 season that saw him win the KHSAA Boys State Championship and the AJGA Justin Thomas Junior. He has risen to 16^th in the ROLEX AJGA rankings and has established himself as one of the top junior golfers across the country.
• Hayden Warren (12:00 p.m.) – Fresh off a win on Monday alongside his brother at the Kentucky Team Championship at Frankfort Country Club, the upstart teen from Owensboro will play for another big accolade this week.
• Stephen Warren (8:20 a.m.) – The older Warren brother is in the same boat as Hayden. One of the leading Hilltoppers from WKU is among a few of their players making a run at this qualifier.  
• Rocco Zakutney (12:30 p.m.) – The Paducah native was one of the six players to advance from the Cherry Blossom qualifier last year and the youngest to do so. He shot 69 (-3) on that day and will attempt to replicate that performance at Kearney Hill.

Golf House Kentucky will have full coverage of the Local Qualifier on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages throughout the day. If a playoff is required to determine at least one of the six guaranteed spots in advancing to Final Qualifying, the playoff will be live-streamed on the organization’s Facebook page. Spectators will be welcomed at Kearney Hill free of charge.

Click here to view Wednesday’s tee times

Click here to view other Local Qualifier sites and results from across the country

FAST FACTS

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.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703