Emiliano Grillo and Byeong-Hun An earned the final exemptions into this week’s U.S. Open field by virtue of their positions inside the top 60 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking.
Both Grillo and An were outside the top 60 when the first OWGR cutoff was made on May 21. Grillo is now No. 52 thanks in large part to a third-place showing at the Fort Worth Invitational, while An is now No. 57 following his playoff loss at the Memorial Tournament.
This will be Grillo’s third straight U.S. Open appearance after T-54 finish at Oakmont and a missed cut at Erin Hills. An, who won the 2009 U.S. Amateur, is making his fourth appearance in a row and fifth overall.
The USGA set aside six spots in the final field for players who might make the final top-60 cutoff, meaning that the final four spots went to players who finished as first alternates at various sectional qualifiers. Rikuyo Hoshino (Japan sectional), Ryan Evans (England), Ted Potter, Jr. (Columbus) and Scott Piercy (Memphis) all now have tee times at Shinnecock Hills.
The final spots were allocated based on the USGA’s priority ranking of the 12 sectional qualifiers, which is not disclosed to the public. The field is now set with an even split: 78 players earned exemptions, while another 78 qualified via sectionals. Should a fully-exempt player withdraw, he’ll be replaced with the next player from the priority ranking of alternates, while a player who qualified via sectionals and subsequently withdraws will be replaced in the field by an alternate from his specific sectional.
Source: Internet
