Some have dubbed it the longest day in golf.
June always brings 36 grueling holes of U.S. Open sectional qualifying – and this year, for the right to play at Olympic Club starting June 14 in San Francisco.
While many of the 58 spots were settled at 11 sites around the country, so far none were collected by golfers from Washington.
Puyallup’s Ryan Moore, who had been on a midseason surge, is out – tying for 25th at 2-over 143 at the Columbus, Ohio, qualifying site where 16 golfers made it out. Tied with him was Tacoma’s Troy Kelly.
Olympia’s Andres Gonzales, one of the Nationwide Tour money leaders this season, will also be home. He was disqualified after one round for not signing his scorecard in Columbus.
Bad weather was a factor, too.
At Emerald Valley Golf Course in Oregon, where two berths were available, the field included Fircrest’s T.J. Bordeaux and the University of Washington trio of Chris Williams, Cheng-Tsung Pan and Charlie Hughes. They had to wait out a two-hour delay due to lightning.
Bordeaux held a share of the lead after the first round with a 2-under 69. But after the delay, he did not make a birdie – and shot 74 to finish in a tie for fifth.
“The rain got bad,” Bordeaux said. “It is already a long golf course, and that … just made it longer.”
Williams, who played in the 2011 U.S. Open, bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes in his second round, and also missed, placing fourth at 1-under 141. Casey Martin, the University of Oregon golf coach, was the medalist at 5-under 137.
One South Sound hopeful remains. University Place’s Michael Putnam played one hole Monday at soggy Germantown Country Club in Memphis, Tenn., as part of the first group out. Another rainstorm drenched the property, and play was suspended until today.
“We played the first hole (No. 10) and they blew the horn,” Putnam said. “Before we got into the cart, the lightning came.”
Shane Prante, a Tumwater High graduate who played college golf at Saint Martin’s University, had rounds of 76 (Harding Park) and 74 (Lake Merced) to tie for 88th in Daly City, Calif.
CHIP SHOTS
Jordan Spieth, the University of Texas freshman who won last summer’s U.S. Junior Amateur at Gold Mountain in Bremerton, lost in a four-men-for-two-spots playoff in Houston. He three-putted from 30 feet on the third extra hole, and lost out to Australian professional Alistair Presnell for the final berth. However, U.S. Junior stroke-play medalist Beau Hossler, of Mission Viejo, Calif., did earn a spot by finishing tied for second at the California qualifying spot (7-under 137). … Andrew Perez, a college teammate of former Capital High standout Kyle Kanda who lived in Olympia last summer and was the 2011 Tacoma City Amateur runner-up, was in contention after an opening 5-under 67 at Harding Park. But he shot a 77 in the afternoon at Lake Merced to miss out.
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8442 blog.thenewstribune.com/golf @ManyHatsMilles
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