Six-Time Major Champion Nick Faldo
Earns U.S. Open Berth In Orlando
June 8, 2004
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Far Hills, N.J. - Six-time major champion and Hall of Famer
Nick Faldo played his way into his 18th U.S. Open by sharing
medalist honors at sectional qualifying Tuesday for the 2004 Open
at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. The Open will
be played June 17-20.
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| Faldo |
Enduring temperatures in the 90s coupled with high humidity,
Faldo holed a 6-foot birdie putt on his 36
th
hole at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Fla., to
shoot 5-under-par 139 and earn his spot. Faldo has played in
every U.S. Open since 1988. His first was in 1984. He has won the
1987, '90 and '92 British Opens, to go along with the
'89, '90 and '96 Masters.
Faldo, who finished tied for 45th at the 1995 Open at
Shinnecock Hills, was runner-up in 1988 to Curtis Strange, tied
for third in 1990, tied for fourth in 1992, seventh in 2000 and
tied for fifth in 2002. Faldo's putt edged out John Cook, who was
the alternate at 4-under 140.
"Why?" said Faldo when asked what motivated him to
qualify. "Because I wanted to play. When you tee it up here,
that was the whole goal, to get to Shinnecock. You put your head
down and grind."
Also earning spots were Camilo Villegas of Colombia, who was a
first-team collegiate All-American at the University of Florida
in 2004 and just turned professional, PGA Tour player Tripp
Isenhour.
A rain delay more than six hours long at Shadow Hawk Golf Club
in Richmond, Texas, allowed the field of 32 players to finish
only 18 of the scheduled 36 holes. Play will resume Wednesday
morning. Leading the scorers with 4-under 68s were 1992 U.S. Open
champion Tom Kite, 1995 and 2003 USA Walker Cup squad member Trip
Kuehne of Irving, Texas, and Charleton Dechert of Enid, Okla.
Thirty players are vying for two berths.
France's Thomas Levet, the British Open runner-up in 2002, and
Scott Weatherly of Fort Payne, Ala., won the two spots at Ansley
Golf Club's Settindown Creek in Atlanta, Ga., with 7-under scores
of 137. Levet has now reached the U.S. Open for the second time
through qualifying at Settindown Creek.
The PGA Tour's Billy Andrade (143) and Euan Walters (142), the
Australasian Tour's leading money winner in 2004, failed to
qualify at Settindown Creek, as did 2001 U.S. Amateur champion
Bubba Dickerson (140).
David Roesch of Menomonee Falls, Wis., and Nationwide Tour
player John Elliott qualified at Old Warson Country Club in St.
Louis, Mo., with scores of 143 and 144, respectively.
Andrew Tschudin of Australia earned the only berth at
Quicksilver Golf Club in Midway, Pa., by shooting 5-under 139. A
professional for seven years, he has played the last two on the
Hooters Tour, winning this year at the Michelob Ultra Classic in
Urbana, Ill. in May.
In the two days of sectional qualifying at 13 sites, a total
of 751 players compete for the final 80 berths in the 156-player
U.S. Open field.
Far Hills, N.J. - Sectional qualifying results, 36 holes of
stroke play, for the 2004 U.S. Open, conducted by the United
States Golf Association, June 17-20 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
in Southampton, N.Y. (a-amateur; x-qualified in a playoff; y-did
not qualify in a playoff):