Which professional golfers qualify for the US Open?

Answer 1

The US Open can best be described by its name, Open. It is open to everyone to play in provided you have at least a handicap of 1.4 or better. As Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy called it "...the most democratic Golf tournament in the world". Once you meet that requirement you can enter qualifying tournaments to gain entry into the US Open tournament. Professionals who do not qualify automatically (See below) and amateurs may begin the qualifying process by playing in an 18-hole local qualifying tournament. The top scores from the local tournaments earn entrance to a 36-hole sectional qualifying tournament. The top scores from there gain entrance to the US Open. There are also qualifying tournaments in Europe and Japan. Players can also earn Automatic entries as long as they meet the following requirements:

- They won the U.S. Open in the previous 10 years

- They won the Masters, British Open or PGA Championship tournament in the previous 5 years

- They finished in the top 30 on PGA money list in the previous year

- They finished in the top 15 on the European Tour in the previous year

- Or, if they are ranked in the top 50 of the official world golf rankings two weeks prior to the tournament.