USGA Accepts 2,810 Entries For U.S. Senior Open


June 24, 2008

Far Hills, N.J. - The United States Golf Association has accepted 2,810 entries, including those from 74 golfers who are already fully exempt into the field, for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open to be played July 31-Aug. 3 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. The exempt list includes 11 past champions.

The first entry came from Tom Nosewicz of Aurora, Colo., and the last entry was submitted less than four minutes before the 5 p.m. (EDT) deadline on June 11 by Fred Douglas of Silver Spring, Md. The oldest applicant is 64-year-old Preston Davis of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

To be eligible, a player must be at least 50 years old on or before July 31 and must have at least a 3.4 Handicap Index, or be a professional.

Golfers who are already fully exempt from having to qualify include 2007 champion Brad Bryant and nine other past champions. Other past Senior Open champions who have entered are Dale Douglass (1986), Allen Doyle (2005 and 2006), Dave Eichelberger (1999), Bruce Fleisher (2001), Hale Irwin (1998 and 2000), Peter Jacobsen (2004), Larry Laoretti (1992), Graham Marsh (1997), Dave Stockton (1996) and Don Pooley (2002). All previous Senior Open champions are fully exempted into the field if they file an entry.

Places in the 156-player field are also reserved for winners of official PGA Champions Tour events in the weeks remaining before the start of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open.

The remainder of the field will be filled through sectional qualifying at 43 sites from June 23-July 7.

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world's golfers and golf courses. 

The Association's most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open.  Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System and administers an ongoing "For the Good of the Game" grants program, which has allocated more than $62 million over 11 years to successful programs that bring the game's values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities.

A list of the 74 golfers who are fully exempt for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open follows:

(a) = amateur

Key to Player Exemptions --

1. Former winners of the U.S. Senior Open.
2. Winners of the U.S. Open in the last 10 years (1999-2008).
3. Winners of the U.S. Amateur in the last 10 years (1998-2007) and semifinalists from 2007.
4. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last 10 years (1999-2008).
5. Winners of the British Open in the last 10 years (1999-2008).
6. Winners of the PGA Championship in the last 10 years. (1998-2007).
7. Winners of the PGA Seniors Championship in the last 10 years. (1999-2008).
8 Winners of the Senior British Open Championship in the last 3 years (2006-2008).
9. The 25 lowest scorers and ties from the 2007 U.S. Senior Open.
10. From the 2008 U.S. Open, any amateur returning a 72-hole score.
11. The low amateur at the 2007 U.S. Senior Open.
12. From the U.S. Amateur Public Links, U.S. Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Amateur, the winners from the last two years and the semifinalists from the most recent championships.
13. Playing members of the 2005 and 2007 USA Walker Cup teams and 2004 and 2006 USA World Amateur Teams.
14. Playing members of the two most current USA Copa de las Americas team (2005 and 2007).
15. Playing members of the five most recent U.S. and European Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams.
16. The top 30 money leaders from the 2007 Champions Tour money list.
17. The top 50 players on the Champions Tour all-time money list through June 11.
18. The top 20 money leaders on the 2008 Champions Tour money list through June 11.
19. Winners of Champions Tour co-sponsored, excluding team events, events in the last two years (2006-2007) and the current calendar year.
20. The top four money winners from the 2007 Senior PGA European Tour Order of Merit.
21. The top two money winners from the 2007 Japan Seniors Tour.
22. Winners of PGA Tour co-sponsored events in the last five years (2003-2007) and during the current calendar year.
23. Any player in his first five years of age eligibility for U.S. Open winners
24. Any player who has won a U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, Masters Tournament, British Open, British Amateur, or PGA Championship (one-time exemption).
25. Special exemptions as selected by the USGA Executive Committee.