The Best Of The 2011 U.S. Open Sectional Storylines

You can read all of the storylines for today, quite possibly the best day in golf, as noted by the USGA staff. 

The storylines feature a heavy emphasis on former USGA event winners, qualifers and also rans, with a few family members of committee types thrown in.

Here are some that caught my eye, starting with my second instructor in the game and a world class human being.

Glendale, Calif. (Oakmont Country Club)
94 players for four spots

• Jim Empey of Boise, Idaho, played in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, won by Tom Kite. He is the former coach of the University of Southern California men's golf team and is now a PGA teaching professional at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Boise.

• Harry Rudolph III of La Jolla, Calif., was once one of the most promising young players in golf and made it to the quarterfinals of the 1987 U.S. Junior Amateur. He led the University of Arizona to a NCAA Division I National Championship in 1992 and often competed against his high school cross-town rival, Phil Mickelson, who played for Arizona State. Rudolph's first attempt at a pro career never got off the ground, however, and he gave up his dream in 1999. In 2009, Rudolph regained his amateur status and qualified for match play at the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 2010 U.S. Amateur. He has since returned to the professional ranks.

Vero Beach, Fla. (Quail Valley Golf Club)
56 players for three spots

• Gary Koch of Tampa, Fla., has played in 17 U.S. Opens and has two top-25 finishes. Koch won six tournaments as a professional and is now a broadcaster for NBC Sports. Koch also won the 1970 U.S. Junior Amateur and played on two USA Walker Cup Teams (1973 and 1975).

• Sam Saunders of Orlando, Fla., is the grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer. He has played in three U.S. Amateur Championships and one U.S. Junior Amateur.

• Sawyer Shaw of West Palm Beach, Fla., is a high school freshman who finished second at his local qualifier at Bear Lakes C.C. in West Palm Beach. The 15-year-old won back-to-back tournaments on the Florida Junior Tour in April and added another victory at the Under Armor/Vicky Hurst Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in May.

• Tommy Stankowski of Fort Myers, Fla., is the older brother of PGA Tour player Paul Stankowski. He last played the U.S. Open in 1992 at Pebble Beach.

Ball Ground, Ga. (Hawks Ridge G.C.)
47 players for three spots

• Russell Henley of Macon, Ga., graduated from the University of Georgia in May and recently became the second amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event (Daniel Summerhays was the first in 2009) when he captured the Stadion Classic held at the University of Georgia's golf course. He tied for low amateur at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with Scott Langley (T-16).

St. Charles, Ill. (St. Charles C.C.)
58 players for three spots

• Scott Langley of Manchester, Mo., won the 2010 NCAA Division I individual title. The left-hander also qualified for the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he tied for low amateur with Russell Henley in 16th place, and he represented the USA at the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship in Argentina.

Rockville, Md. (Woodmont Country Club)
112 players for 10 spots

• Guy Boros of Pompano Beach, Fla., has played in two U.S. Opens, most recently in 1998. He has three wins on the Nationwide Tour and one career PGA Tour win - the 1996 Greater Vancouver Open. Boros is the son of Hall of Famer Julius Boros, who won 18 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Opens. Boros is also the oldest winner of a major championship; he was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship.

• Bubba Dickerson of Fernandina Beach, Fla., won the 2001 U.S. Amateur Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., over Robert Hamilton. He also played in two other U.S. Amateurs and won an NCAA Division I men's team title with the University of Florida in 2001. Dickerson played on the PGA Tour in 2006 and 2007, and has been a regular member of the Nationwide Tour since then.

• Jason Gore of Valencia, Calif., was tied for second place after three rounds of the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, but shot a final-round 84. Gore has played in three other U.S. Opens (1998, 2008 and 2010) and was a member of the victorious 1997 USA Walker Cup Team. He also led Pepperdine to the 1997 NCAA title.

• Kirk Triplett of Scottsdale, Ariz., has three career PGA Tour victories and has played in 16 U.S. Opens, most recently in 2007.

• Ty Tryon of Orlando, Fla., became the youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour's Qualifying School in 2001 at the age of 17. He made the cut at last year's U.S. Open.

• Drew Weaver of Sea Island, Ga., played on the victorious 2009 USA Walker Cup Team. He won the 2007 British Amateur, becoming the first American to win since Jay Sigel in 1979. The Virginia Tech graduate also played in the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park that year and finished 40th.

Summit, N.J. (Canoe Brook C.C.)
83 players for four spots

• Gregory Bisconti of South Salem, N.Y., was the low PGA professional at the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National G.C. in Chaska, Minn. Bisconti is the club pro at The St. Andrew's Golf Club in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., one of the five founding USGA member clubs.

• Tarik Can of Manhasset, N.Y., was a semifinalist in the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur. He also advanced to match play in the 2006 U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links. Can is the former caddie for Paula Creamer, the reigning U.S. Women's Open champion.

• Bob Rittberger of Garden City, N.Y., is the head professional at Garden City (N.Y.) Golf Club. He won the 2010 Met Open at Bethpage Black, the site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. Rittberger narrowly missed advancing to the U.S. Open in 2007 when his approach shot on the 36th hole of sectional qualifying hit the flagstick and ricocheted into the rough, leading to a double bogey when he needed a par to advance.

Columbus, Ohio (Brookside Country Club/The Lakes Country Club)
120 players for 16 spots

• Byeong-Hun "Ben" An of Alameda, Calif., became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur when he defeated Ben Martin in the 2009 final at the age of 17. An was born in South Korea, but moved to the United States to pursue golf. He currently plays for the University of California-Berkeley.

• Joseph Bramlett of Saratoga, Calif., is a rookie on the PGA Tour who, along with Tiger Woods, is one of two players on the Tour with African-American heritage. The former Stanford standout has played in four U.S. Amateurs, two U.S. Junior Amateurs and a USGA Men's State Team Championship. He qualified for the 2010 U.S. Open as an amateur.

• Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain won the Masters in 1994 and 1999. He has 31 worldwide professional wins and has appeared in the U.S. Open 17 times, with his best finishes a pair of ties for 8th place, in 1990 and 1991. Olazabal will captain the European Ryder Cup Team in 2012.

• Anthony Paolucci of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., was the runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur. At the time, he was only the third 14-year-old in history to make it to the final. Paolucci also appeared in two other U.S. Junior Amateurs and two U.S. Amateurs.

Springfield, Ohio (Springfield Country Club)
34 players for two spots

• Chris Smith of Peru, Ind., has played in five U.S. Opens, with his most recent appearance in 2004. Smith made the PGA Tour in 1995 and won the 2002 Buick Classic

Memphis, Tenn. (Tunica National)
78 players for 10 spots

• Chris DiMarco of Longwood, Fla., has three PGA Tour victories and has finished second in every major except the U.S. Open. The former Florida Gator lost the 2005 Masters in a playoff with Tiger Woods. DiMarco's last U.S. Open appearance was in 2007.

• Hunter Hamrick of Montgomery, Ala., has played in four U.S. Junior Amateur Championships and was the youngest player in the field at the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur at age 13. He was also the youngest player in the field at the 2005 U.S. Amateur at age 15.

• Brendan Steele of Irvine, Calif., became the third rookie to win on the PGA Tour this year when he captured the Valero Texas Open in April. He won the final event of the 2010 Nationwide Tour season, moving him from 30th to sixth on the money list and earning him a 2011 PGA Tour card.

• Scott Verplank of Edmond, Okla., won the 1984 U.S. Amateur and played on the victorious 1985 USA Walker Cup Team that beat Great Britain and Ireland at Pine Valley (N.J.) Golf Club. Verplank has five career PGA Tour victories and has appeared in 17 U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for seventh in 2007.

Dallas, Texas (Dallas Athletic Club, Blue Course)
71 players for four spots

• Todd Hamilton of Westlake, Texas, won the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. He also won the Honda Classic in 2004 and was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year at the age of 38.

• Tom Kite of Austin, Texas, won the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and has played in the championship 33 times. The Hall of Famer owns 38 worldwide professional wins and represented the USA in the 1970 World Amateur Team Championship.

• Bob May of Las Vegas, Nev., was a member of the 1991 USA Walker Cup Team that won in Dublin, Ireland. He has played in numerous USGA championships. May is best known for taking Tiger Woods to a thrilling playoff in the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla C.C. in Louisville, Ky., which Woods eventually won.

• Cory Whitsett of Houston, Texas, won the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo. Whitsett became just the fourth left-handed player to win a USGA championship and the fifth 15-year-old to win the title.

Bremerton, Wash. (Gold Mountain Golf Club, Olympic Course)
48 players for four spots

• Notah Begay III of Dallas, Texas, has four career PGA Tour victories. He was a member of the 1995 USA Walker Cup Team and is a former teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford. Begay has played in three U.S. Opens.

• Sebastian Crampton of Pacific Grove, Calif., is the youngest player in sectional qualifying. He will be 15 years and 16 days old when he competes on June 6. If he qualifies, he will be the youngest player to play in the U.S. Open, surpassing Tadd Fujikawa, who was 15 years, 5 months and 7 days old when he qualified in 2006 at Winged Foot.