US open field begins to take shape by world rankings and qualify

A day after Scottie Scheffler captured his third major at the PGA Championship, the 156-man field for the US Open on Monday began to take shape with 27 players held by the world rankings and qualifiers on three continents. Among the 36 players who are now released from the qualification are Davis Riley and Joe Highsmith, who both do well in the final round of the PGA Championship to go to the Top 60 in the world rankings. The US Open is June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, where Dustin Johnson won his first major. Johnson played a practice round that week with Scheffler, who was 19 and made his American open debut. Scheffler opened with 69, then shot 78 and missed the cut. Liv Golf added four more of his players on the field when Jinichiro Kozuma was among three players who reached it through the Japan qualifier. Joaquin Niemann was added as the leading player on Liv Points, while the top 60 in the world added Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed. Sergio Garcia and Abraham Ancer were one of the players who played in the 36-hole qualifier in Dallas. Most of the final qualification is scheduled for June 2 across the US and in Canada. The field of released players – not the qualifying websites – was 85 players, a little higher than normal for a US Open who strives to qualify about half the field (78 players). Riley, Highsmith, Jhonattan Vegas and Si Woo Kim moved into the top 60 in the top 60 in the last week. Riley was in conflict when he took a triple Bogey on the seventh hole. He was over for his round at that point, but had the rest of the way to play second place. It was enough to him from no. 100 in the top 60 to move 53rd into the world. Ditto for Highsmith, who played with three birds over the last 12 holes with three birds to move nine places to the number 60. The Laurie Canter, although he was released because he was the highest player on the European Tour Points list, is not already eligible. The only other exempt place available is the NCAA Men’s Individual Champion, which will be decided on May 26 at La Costa Resort in California. ___