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A Champion And Winner Could Be In Field
In his annual gleaning of U.S. Open applications, which were due by 5 p.m. EDT on April 23, Mike Overhiser of the USGA takes a lighter look at some of the hopefuls for the championship.
Youngest: Providing they qualify, two players will be 13 years old for the 2003 U.S. Open, the youngest being Mu Hu from China (10/8/1989).
Oldest: Of those that supplied their date of birth, George Bellino from Youngstown, Ohio, at 68 (8/30/1934) will be the oldest in the field if he qualifies.
Foreign Ties: There are 244 applicants with either foreign addresses or a foreign preferred address (i.e. Sergio Garcia, whose mailing address on his application reads Cleveland, Ohio, but will be listed in the Pairings as from Spain).
Sites: There were a total of 106 local qualifying sites assigned for this year.
Entries Via The Web
First: Smith Patterson, an amateur from Lansing, Mich. (approximately seven minutes after the launch of the Internet applications)
Last: Bryan Geiberger, a pro from Palm Desert, Calif. (4:56:17p.m.) on April 23, the final day.
Final Online Numbers
| Totals For: |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
| Percent Accepted Online |
5,157 applications for 63% |
3,541 (40%) |
2,045 (24%) |
| Final Hour |
145 apps. in final hour |
75 |
31 |
| Final Day |
645 apps. on final day |
439 |
221 |
Applying Online: Rich Beem, Notah Begay III, Angel Cabrera, K.J. Choi, Fred Couples, Jay Haas, Padraig Harrington, Hale Irwin, Colin Montgomery, Nick Price, Justin Rose, Jeff Sluman, David Toms and Tom Watson.
Name Game:
- There are 11 applicants named Chip and one Chipper.
- There are 13 Green, Greene, or Greens.
- There are nine Wood and four Woods.
Must Be His Name: William Link IV, from Acton, Mass., was once again one of our first entries received.
Sounds Like Trouble: Rodney Butcher from New Port Richey, Fla., Donnie Hacker from Tampa, Fla., and Jeremy Duffin from Centerville, Utah.
There Is A Driver In The Bag: Davis Driver from Scottsdale, Ariz.
Two Tigers: Tiger Woods is joined this year by Tiger Godwin, an amateur from Homeland, Fla.
Bunker And Balls: We have only one Bunker this year -- Jeff Bunker from Lake Bluff, Ill. But we had a couple of Balls: Michael Ball of Palmetto, Fla., and Charles Ball from Parkville, Mo.
USGA Staff Challenge: David Fay vs. Kevin O'Connor, but not unless they are listing their summer getaways as their hometown. Returning once again are David Fay from Danbury, Conn., and Kevin O'Connor of East Lime, Conn.
Nicklaus Enters: Jack Nicklaus won't be playing this year but sons Mike and Gary Nicklaus, both of North Palm Beach, Fla., will.
Is it hole or Cupp?: Because we have two - amateur Wesley and pro Joshua Cupp, returning once again from Rome, N.Y.
Popular Names
- Smith: 64 entries
- Johnson: 50 entries
- Miller: 39 entries
- Jones: 36 entries
- Brown: 35 entries
And Finally: This year we already have a Champion and a Winner -- Jeff Champion of Riverside, Ala.,and James Winner from Bel Air, Md.
E-mail address: mediarelations@usga.org
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