Contributions & cover photo from United States Golf Association / usga.org

The 118th U.S. Open will be contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y. on June 14-17, and for most competitors, the #RoadtoShinnecock will begin with local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 112 sites in 45 states and Canada between April 30 and May 17. Among those qualifying sites is Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Kentucky, which will host local qualifying on Wednesday, May 16th.

Apply to Play | Deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 25th at 5:00 p.m.

Kearney Hill Golf Links, designed in 1989 by Pete Dye and his son, P.B., is has played host to numerous amateur and professional championships over the year. The Bank One Classic, a former PGA Tour Champions event, was played annually at Kearney Hill from 1990-1997. Among the past champions of that event are  Gary Player (1993 and 1995) and Isao Aoki (1994), both World Golf Hall of Fame members. On the amateur side, the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links and 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championships were held at Kearney Hill Golf Links, won by Tim Clark and Mina Harigae, respectively. This summer, city of Lexington-owned property will also host the 43rd Girls Junior PGA Championship on July 9-12, as well as the Kentucky PGA Professional Championship on September 17-18.

Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of exempt players in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 12 sites, 10 of them in the U.S., one in England and one in Japan. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play. Last year, 21 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Erin Hills.

“Thousands of professional and amateur golfers will have an opportunity to take part in U.S. Open qualifying due to the work of Allied Golf Associations, supported by the USGA’s five regional affairs offices, along with Golf Canada,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The two-tiered qualifying process will culminate in the championship at historic Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the only course to host the U.S. Open in three different centuries and one of the USGA’s five founding member clubs.”

To be eligible to participate, a player must have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.

Kentucky Qualifying Site:
Wednesday, May 16 - Kearney Hill Golf Links - Lexington, K.Y.

2018 U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying Sites (112)

Monday, April 30 (2)
Marietta C.C., Kennesaw, Ga.
Gleneagles C.C., Plano, Texas

Tuesday, May 1 (1)
UNM Championship G.C., Albuquerque, N.M.

Thursday, May 3 (1)
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Silver Lakes, Glencoe, Ala.

Friday, May 4 (1)
The Club at Admirals Cove (North/West Courses), Jupiter, Fla.

Sunday, May 6 (1)
Ka’anapali G.C. (Royal Course), Lahaina, Hawaii

Monday, May 7 (25)
Tonto Verde G.C., Scottsdale, Ariz.
Fort Washington G. & C.C., Fresno, Calif.
Indian Ridge C.C. (Grove Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Beacon Hall Golf Club, Aurora, Ontario, Canada
Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Westminster, Colo.
Great River G.C., Milford, Conn.
LPGA International (Rees Jones Course), Daytona Beach, Fla.
Lago Mar C.C., Plantation, Fla.
The Founders G.C., Sarasota, Fla.
Cog Hill G. & C.C. (Dubsdread Course), Lemont, Ill.
South Bend (Ind.) C.C.
Muskegon (Mich.) C.C.
Old Warson C.C., St. Louis, Mo.
Hidden Creek G.C., Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Spring Lake (N.J.) G.C.
Essex County C.C., West Orange, N.J.
Canyon Gate C.C., Las Vegas, Nev.
Ravenwood G.C., Victor, N.Y.
Southampton G.C., Southampton, N.Y.
Riverside G. & C.C., Portland, Ore.
Westwood G.C., Houston, Texas
The Club at Comanche Trace (Valley/Hills Course), Kerrville, Texas
Alpine C.C., Highland, Utah
Meridian Valley C.C., Kent, Wash.
Stonewall Resort (Palmer Course), Roanoke, W.Va.

Tuesday, May 8 (9)
Hot Springs C.C. (Arlington Course), Hot Springs, Ark.
Yocha Dehe G.C., Brooks, Calif.
Andalusia C.C., La Quinta, Calif.
The Club at Ruby Hill, Pleasanton, Calif.
Fox Hollow G.C., Trinity, Fla.
Mount Kisco C.C., Mount Kisco, N.Y.
Beechmont C.C., Cleveland, Ohio
The Rawls Course, Lubbock, Texas
Troy Burne G.C., Hudson, Wis.

Wednesday, May 9 (11)
Oak Creek G.C., Irvine, Calif.
CommonGround G.C., Aurora, Colo.
Orange Tree G.C., Orlando, Fla.
Hombre G.C. (Bad/Ugly Courses), Panama City Beach, Fla.
Wichita (Kan.) C.C.
Blue Mash G.C., Laytonsville, Md.
Duke University G.C., Durham, N.C.
Butler (Pa.) C.C.
Columbia C.C., Blythewood, S.C.
Jackson (Tenn.) C.C.
Holston Hills C.C., Knoxville, Tenn.

Thursday, May 10 (9)
Sewailo G.C., Tucson, Ariz.
Bermuda Dunes (Calif.) C.C.
La Purisima G.C., Lompoc, Calif.
DuPont C.C., Wilmington, Del.
OakWing G.C., Alexandria, La.
Pinehills G.C. (Nicklaus Course), Plymouth, Mass.
Hurricane Creek C.C., Anna, Texas
Farmington C.C., Charlottesville, Va.
Wine Valley G.C., Walla Walla, Wash.

Friday, May 11 (2)
The Legacy G. & T.C., Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
River Landing G.C. (River Course), Wallace, N.C.

Monday, May 14 (23)
Wigwam G.R. (Gold Course), Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.
The Grand G.C., San Diego, Calif.
Pelican Marsh G.C., Naples, Fla.
The Wanderers Club, Wellington, Fla.
Orange County National G.C. & Lodge (Crooked Cat Course), Winter Garden, Fla.
Georgia National G.C., McDonough, Ga.
TimberStone G.C., Caldwell, Idaho
Illini C.C., Springfield, Ill.
Delaware C.C., Muncie, Ind.
Glen Oaks C.C., West Des Moines, Iowa
Stockbridge (Mass.) G.C.
Hillendale C.C., Phoenix, Md.
Creekmoor G.C., Raymore, Mo.
Pinewild C.C. (Magnolia Course), Pinehurst, N.C.
New Mexico State University G.C., Las Cruces, N.M.
Edgewood Tahoe G.C., Stateline, Nev.
Maketewah C.C., Cincinnati, Ohio
Catawba Island Club, Port Clinton, Ohio
Kinsale G. & F.C., Powell, Ohio
Pawtucket (R.I.) C.C.
Belfair Plantation (West Course), Bluffton, S.C.
Dakota Dunes (S.D.) C.C.

Tuesday, May 15 (9)
Ironwood C.C. (South Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Collindale G.C., Fort Collins, Colo.
Southern Hills Plantation G.C., Brooksville, Fla.
Sawgrass C.C. (East/West Courses), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Ocean Course Hokuala, Kaua’i, Hawaii
Knollwood C.C., West Bloomfield, Mich.
Missoula (Mont.) C.C.
Cedar Ridge C.C., Broken Arrow, Okla.
Whistling Straits (The Irish Course), Sheboygan, Wis.

Wednesday, May 16 (10)
Palmer (Alaska) G.C.
Industry Hills G.C. (Eisenhower Course), City of Industry, Calif.
Pasatiempo G.C., Santa Cruz, Calif.
Mission Inn R. & C. (El Campeon Course), Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
The Wilds G.C., Prior Lake, Minn.
Cherry Valley Club, Garden City, N.Y.
Quicksilver G.C, Midway, Pa.
C.C. of York, Pa.
The Hills C.C. (Flintrock Falls Course), Austin, Texas
Riverton C.C., Riverton, Wyo.
Kearney Hill G.L., Lexington, Ky.

Thursday, May 17 (8)
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes G.C., Maricopa, Ariz.
Granite Bay (Calif.) G.C.
The C.C. of Winter Haven, Fla.
ThunderHawk G.C., Beach Park, Ill.
Omaha (Neb.) C.C.
Turning Stone Resort (Kaluhyat Course), Verona, N.Y.
Glenmaura National G.C., Moosic, Pa.