Some quicks facts about the 115th U.S. Open.
For those who don’t consider themselves die-hard golf fans, here are some U.S. Open basics:
Question: What is it?
Answer: The U.S. Open is the national golf championship of the United States. It is a tournament for the best professional and amateur golfers in the world. This will be the 115th U.S. Open and the first to be played in the Northwest.
Q: How does a player get into the field?
A: About half the field has to advance in qualifying events to get one of the 156 berths. There were local qualifying tournaments in May, followed by one-day sectional events that concluded Monday. Many PGA Tour players are allowed to bypass local qualifiers but must do well at sectionals to get a berth. The other half of the field has earned an automatic berth by meeting criteria such as winning one of the past 10 U.S. Opens, finishing in the top 10 at last year’s Open, playing in last year’s PGA Tour Championship or being ranked among the top 60 in the world.
Q: Will Tiger Woods play? Who are some other big “exempt” names?
A: Tiger is in because he won the 2008 U.S. Open. Among the others who have earned spots are Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, defending champion Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Jason Day.
Q: Is the U.S. Open the world’s most prestigious golf tournament?
A: Depends whom you ask. The British and Europeans consider The British Open to be the most prestigious tournament in part because it is the oldest. Americans are usually split in whether the U.S. Open or the Masters is more prestigious. Everyone agrees that these three tournaments rank above golf’s fourth major, the PGA Championship.
Q: Why is Chambers Bay special?
A: First, it’s a public course and almost all previous Opens have been played on private or resort courses. The property used to be a huge sand and gravel pit. The course is built in the British links style that emphasizes firm fairways and greens and encourages golfers to bounce some approach shots along the ground rather than fly everything to the green. The course has fescue grass, common in the British Isles.
Q: Can I play Chambers Bay?
Tour Chambers Bay
Take a tour of the links-style course using our 3-D flyover, including videos featuring U.S. Open Championship Director Danny Sink.A: Yes, but it’s not cheap. The course is closed until after the Open. Immediately after the Open, greens fees for out-of-state players will be $299 plus tax and for Washington residents and members of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association $249 plus tax. Pierce County residents will pay $209 plus tax. Rates will go down slightly in mid-July. The hope is that the U.S. Open will make the course a magnet for golf tourists.
Q: Will the Open come back to Chambers Bay?
A: That’s the hope of Pierce County, which owns the course. A lot will depend on how successful this tournament is.
Q: Can I get tickets?
A: Tickets for the four-day tournament (Thursday-Sunday) are sold out. Some practice-round tickets are available. Fans can pursue tournament tickets on the secondary market through classified ads and websites such as Stubhub.com.
Q: Which network will televise the tournament?
A: Fox (Channel 13). It is Fox’s first U.S. Open. The primary announcers will be Joe Buck and Greg Norman.