U.S. Open Sectional Storylines

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Courtesy of the USGA Media Department, your U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying storylines...though this is missing reader Jeff Fortson, who is playing the first sectional listed in San Francisco.

But how about the number of 15- and 16-year-olds making it to the Sectionals! Some of the "storylines" that stood out to me:

Lake Merced Golf Club & TPC Harding Park (Daly City & San Francisco, Calif.)

  • Michael Allen, 53, was born in nearby San Mateo, Calif., and is a member of The Olympic Club. He has played in five U.S. Opens. Allen won the 2009 Senior PGA Championship and has a pair of top-10 finishes in his two U.S. Senior Opens.
  • Timothy Bogue, a 44-year-old professional from Windsor, Calif., is a longshoreman at the port of Oakland.
  • Raymund Gonzales Jr. is a sophomore on the Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School golf team who also plays San Diego Junior Golf. The 16-year-old started playing in his native Philippines at the age of 4.
  • Domingo Jojola grew up in New Mexico and was a boxer until his family moved to San Francisco when he was in eighth grade. Jojola, 25, was among the first Junior Merit members at Lake Merced G.C., where he still has a membership. A graduate of San Francisco’s Lincoln High, which produced U.S. Open champions Ken Venturi and Johnny Miller, he now plays on mini-tours.
  • Jefferson Kao of Walnut, Calif., is a 15-year-old who plays on the Diamond Bar High School golf team. He advanced on the first playoff hole of U.S. Open local qualifying with a birdie.
  • Gus Lundquist of Parker, Colo., is a 17-year-old senior at Regis Jesuit High School. He led the program to its first state title in 2011 as the Class 5A medalist. He has a 3.9 grade-point average.
  • Jesus Ojeda of San Diego, Calif., is a Mexican-American who was introduced to golf through The First Tee Program in 1995. He is pursuing a career in golf management and is working on his Class A PGA certification.
  • Chris Stein is the head golf professional at The Olympic Club. He was born in Burlingame, Calif., and took up golf at age 16. Stein was named assistant professional in 1984 and moved to his present position in 1999.
  • Shohei Yamawaki of Encinitas, Calif., is a junior on the La Costa Canyon High golf team.  He earned 2012 All-Scholastic honors and plays San Diego Junior Golf.

Black Diamond Ranch, Quarry Course (Lecanto, Fla.)

  • Rigel Fernandes, age 15, fired a 67 with seven birdies in his Bradenton, Fla., local qualifier. He is a native of Mangalore, one of India’s principal port cities, and attends IMG Academies in Florida. Fernandes was a 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur participant.
  • Daniel Jaramillo is a 15-year-old from Colombia. Jaramillo, who lives in Bradenton, Fla., has attended IMG Academies for the last four years.
  • Thomas Stankowski, a 46-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., is the brother of Paul Stankowski, the winner of two PGA Tour events who also played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club.
  • Carl Yuan is a 15-year-old who moved to the United States from the People’s Republic of China in the summer of 2011. He attends EaglesDream Golf Academy. Yuan fired a 5-under-par 67 and made a 15-foot par putt to get into a four-way playoff in local qualifying.
  • Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla., is the youngest player to advance to sectional qualifying. The 14-year-old (born on Dec. 14, 1997) is originally from the People’s Republic of China, but now attends the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy. He recently set a scoring record (nine under par) in winning on the IMG Junior Golf Tour (Boys 15-18 division).

The River Course (Suwanee, Ga.)

  • Mitch Krywulycz, an Australian who plays on the eGolf Tour, shot a 64 in local qualifying. He helped lead Augusta State (Ga.) University to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships in 2010 and 2011.
  • D.J. Tozier of Mechanicville, N.Y., is a senior at Shenendehowa High School, just north of Albany. He advanced in his first Open qualifier and plays at Western Turnpike, a public golf course. He will attend Columbus (Ga.) State University.

Village Links of Glen Ellyn (Glen Ellyn, Ill.)

  • Brad Benjamin was one of three amateurs to make the cut at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. Benjamin, 25, won the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. He is the second left-hander to win the Amateur Public Links.
  • Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., is the men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois. He has qualified for three U.S. Opens. Two of his current players (Luke Guthrie, Brian Campbell) have also advanced from local to sectional qualifying.

Woodmont Country Club (Rockville, Md.)

  • Jeff Curl of Birmingham, Ala., plays on the Nationwide Tour and is the son of Rod Curl, the first full-blooded Native American to win a PGA Tour event.
  • Fred Funk, the third-oldest player in sectional qualifying at age 55, won the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. He has twice finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open, including sixth in 2004. Funk, the former University of Maryland golf coach, has eight PGA Tour and seven Champions Tour victories.
  • Jason Gore was a member of the 1997 USA Walker Cup Team and was in the final pairing with Retief Goosen at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where he shot a final-round 84 to finish in a tie for 49th. His first U.S. Open was in 1998 at The Olympic Club.
  • Michael Thompson was the 2007 U.S. Amateur runner-up at The Olympic Club. He was named 2008 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year at the University of Alabama.

Canoe Brook Country Club (Summit, N.J.)

  • Bill Britton is the second-oldest player (age 56) among this year’s U.S. Open sectional qualifiers, and the oldest to advance out of local qualifying. Britton, who last played in the Open in 1989, spent 15 years on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for 21st, the low club pro in the Senior PGA Championship, a Champions Tour major, on May 27 in Benton Harbor, Mich. He is a teacher and author and was named the 2006 New Jersey Section Senior Player of the Year.
  • Matt Lowe, 16, advanced through local qualifying as a 13-year-old in 2009. He has moved on to sectional play again as a sophomore at Farmingdale (N.Y.) High School.
  • Mark McCormick, the head professional at Suburban Country Club, qualified at Alpine (N.J.) Country Club. He will play in the same sectional with his son, Ryan.
  • Ryan McCormick, a sophomore on the St. John’s University golf team, was medalist in a local qualifier at Wheatley Hills Golf Club in East Williston, N.Y. He will play in the same sectional as his father, Mark.
  • Kirk Satterfield is an assistant professional at the Golf Club of Purchase. He won the 2012 Westchester PGA on the 20th hole in the championship match.
  • Kyle Sterbinsky of Yardley, Pa., is a 15-year-old freshman at the Peddie School in New Jersey. He helped his scholastic team win the Mercer County Championship. Sterbinsky reached the quarterfinals of the 111th Philadelphia Amateur.

Scioto Country Club & OSU Scarlet Course (Columbus, Ohio;)

  • Davis Love III is the United States captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup. He has made 22 U.S. Open appearances and owns five top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open, including a tie for second in 1996. Love has 20 PGA Tour victories and won the 1997 PGA Championship.
  • Bryden Macpherson, a 21-year-old from Australia, is the reigning British Amateur champion. Macpherson, who played as a collegian at the University of Georgia, earned an exemption into the 2011 British Open and an invitation to the 2012 Masters Tournament as the Amateur champion. He turned professional after the Masters, forfeiting his U.S. Open exemption.
  • Jon McDonald, of Bonita Springs, Fla., shared medalist honors in the largest U.S. Open local qualifier field. Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati advanced 11 golfers from a 168-player field. He plays on the West Florida Tour.
  • Tim Mickelson of San Diego, Calif., is the brother of four-time major champion Phil Mickelson and the head men’s golf coach at Arizona State University. One of his ASU players (Austin Quick) also advanced through local qualifying. Mickelson was a 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist.

Springfield Country Club (Springfield, Ohio)

  • Brian Davis has had skin cancer twice and is affiliated with The Skin Cancer Foundation and its education and prevention programs. Davis, who has played in three U.S. Opens, is also a supporter of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Fla., which has assisted in caring for two of his children.
  • Seung-Yul Noh is attempting to play in his third U.S. Open, having tied for 40th in 2010 and tied for 30th last year. He was the medalist at the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to eventual champion Cory Whitsett in the round of 16. In 2010, Noh became the second-youngest winner (18 years, 282 days) ever on the European Tour.
  • Lee Rinker, a 51-year-old professional, comes from a golfing family. His brother Larry has played on the PGA Tour and his sister Laurie has competed on the LPGA Tour. Rinker has made five U.S. Open appearances.
  • Ryan Yip of Calgary, Alberta, joined the Canadian Tour in 2007. He played as a collegian at Kent State University, a program that produced 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis.

Emerald Valley Golf Club (Creswell,Ore.)

  • Billy Bomar claimed the lone spot available in local qualifying at Settlers Bay Golf Club in Alaska. The 49-year-old will attempt to qualify for the Champions Tour in October.
  • Casey Martin is the head golf coach at the University of Oregon. At age 26, Martin played in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, using a cart in competition due to a disability (Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome). One of his Oregon players (Sean Maekawa) has also advanced to sectional qualifying.
  • Kevin Pomarleau, 43, is the state of Washington’s reigning mid-amateur champion. He reached the round of 16 at the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the first round of match play in 2011.

Germantown Country Club (Memphis, Tenn.)

  • Luke Guthrie of Quincy, Ill., is the 2012 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year from the University of Illinois. He was the medalist at the Springfield, Ill., local qualifier. His coach (Mike Small) and teammate (Brian Campbell) also advanced through local qualifying.
  • Lee Janzen, 45, won the U.S. Open in 1993 and 1998. The late Payne Stewart, a two-time Open champion, finished second in both of his victories. Janzen is among 18 players to have won multiple U.S. Open titles. He has not played in the Open since 2008 and is one of two past champions entered in sectional qualifying (Tom Kite).
  • Stan Utley, 50, made his Champions Tour debut at the Toshiba Classic two months ago. He was listed by Golf Digest as one of America’s 50 greatest teachers. A Scottsdale, Ariz., resident, he finished 61st at the 1991 U.S. Open.

Lakeside Country Club (Houston, Texas)

  • Steve Gilley of The Woodlands, Texas, advanced through local qualifying at Miramont Country Club 45 days after suffering a stroke. His wife, Kelly, was his caddie at the qualifier.
  • Todd Hamilton, 46, won the 2004 British Open by defeating Ernie Els in a four-hole aggregate playoff. He had made eight U.S. Open appearances with a pair of ties for 36th place in 2008 and 2009.
  • Tom Kite, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, is the oldest player (age 62) in sectional qualifying. Kite, who has four top-10 U.S. Open finishes, owns 19 PGA Tour victories and joins Lee Janzen as the only past U.S. Open champions in sectional qualifying.
  • Nemanja Savic is the first professional golfer from Serbia. He was born in Belgrade in 1983 and moved to Zambia, where he learned to play golf and competed on the national swimming team. He attended college in the United States and is currently on the NGA Tour.