Umcee Success Stories on the Longest Day of Golf

 As mentioned in my last post, the "Longest Day in Golf" went down yesterday. Ten of the thirteen final qualifying sites, each a 36-hole test sending a given number of top finishers to the U.S. Open, contributed 44 places in this year's event at Pinehurst No 2 in North Carolina. Among those trying their luck at a spot were numerous Umcees. While not all qualified or earned alternate places (each site designates two), three earned their way into the season's penultimate men's major and its most masochistic, just as last week's women's edition was for women's golf. Below, I provide a recap of the three.

Frankie Capan III won his U.S. Open qualifier (St Paul Pioneer Press).

Frankie Capan III (Duke University Golf Club, Durham, NC, medallist, -6/134)

Capan was the most impressive of the three Umcees who qualified via open qualifying (as opposed to exemptions). He was already exempt from local qualifying due to his top-500 OWGR standing at the time of application that he has maintained. FCIII beat Brian Campbell and former U.S. Amateur Sam Bennett to win the medal by one stroke, and Chesson Hadley and Webb Simpson qualified without any questions as well. That left two places to be determined among seven players, along with both alternate places, in a sudden-death playoff. Carter Jenkins and Harry Higgs--the latter of whom beat Capan in another playoff at the Korn Ferry Tour's Visit Knoxville Open--prevailed, while Spencer Oxendine and Matt McCarty were first and second alternates, respectively.

Gunnar Broin (amateur, Ohio State University Golf Club, Scarlet Course, Columbus, OH, 4-way T3 and won in odd-one-out playoff, -9/133)

The sole amateur on the list, Broin just completed his fourth year at the University of Kansas and is intending to play one more season of college golf before turning pro. He missed out on the medallist honours by one stroke, as Justin Lower and Seamus Power shared them at -10. Since there were only five places available and he was in a four-way tie for third, Broin had to undergo a playoff, whose loser would be first alternate. As it turned out, he did just enough to make Pinehurst, along with Brendon Todd and Chris Naegel, while Otto Black missed out. In a separate, seven-way playoff, Joshua Lee won second-alternate status.

Carson Schaake (Springfield Country Club, Springfield, OH, T2, -8/132)

The third and final Umcee to qualify tied for second with Beau Hossler. Only Zac Blair beat them, finishing -9. Schaake sealed his trip to Pinehurst with a birdie on No 17, enabling him to avoid a playoff with Aussie stars Cam Davis and Adam Scott. (Even now, I can't believe that neither has qualified his way into the U.S. Open!) As it is, both went to one, and it made headlines. Scott failed to match Davis' second playoff hole birdie, putting his streak of 91 straight major appearances in jeopardy. Equally heartbreaking--even more so from an Upper Midwest perspective--though not totally unexpected was Troy Merritt's loss to Maxwell Moldovan of Ohio St in a playoff for second alternate. Otherwise, I would have given Merritt an honourable mention.

One more thing: Speaking of qualifiers, PGA Tour Q-School applications dropped today, so in a post later this week, I will be examining the differences (if any) between Q-school last year and this year. For now, look for me to announce the Upper Midwest Connection of the Week tomorrow (5 June).