Three Players Battling it Out This Week for Spot in U.S. Open

For almost half of a decade, the winner of the St. Jude Classic had no real impact on the U.S. Open field. This year, however, the tournament in Memphis could slingshot someone into the PGA’s next major.

Typically, the winner of a tournament like the St. Jude Classic would automatically be added to the field if it were before The Masters, The Open Championship or the PGA Championship. This is not the same for the U.S. Open, however, as the winner of the tournament would also have to crack the top 60 players in the world to qualify. So if someone, like say Dickey Pride, would win in Memphis they would not qualify for the major.

So after scouring the field, there are many players competing that are already in the U.S. Open, such as Rickey Fowler and Francesco Molinari, and there are other players who would come nowhere close to becoming the 60th best player in the world even with a victory. That leaves only three players that could be battling for the qualifying spot, Hudson Swafford, Ian Poulter, and Sunghoon Kang.

Ian Poulter of England walks down the 6th hole during day four of the…

Ian Poulter of England walks down the 6th hole during day four of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 28, 2017 in Virginia Water, England. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

And there is certainly hope for all three of these players to gain the 60th spot that is necessary. It has happened as recently as 2014 when Bernd Wiesberger attained the 60th spot in the world after a runner-up finish on the European Tour. And further, the current no. 60 player in the world, Chris Wood, is not playing this week after pulling out of the Lyoness Open on the European Tour.

With the opportunity there for the taking, many will have to be rooting for Poulter to take that spot and qualify for the U.S. Open next week. After a long year of despair, losing his PGA TOUR card and having to shut down his clothing line, a comeback leading to another appearance in a major championship would be a victory for the Englishman. But since Poulter is sitting at 83rd in the world, he’d likely have to win the tournament to make the necessary leap.

So while many fans will be gearing up for the fierce competition next week, don’t overlook the intense golf that these three golfers will be playing with for a chance to compete for the U.S. Open.

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