So, Patrick Reed has pulled out of U.S. Open qualifying, marking the end of his streak of playing in every major since the 2014 Masters. Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia stumbled late, missing the chance to secure his spot at Pinehurst.
Reed withdrew from the U.S. Open qualifier, which means he won’t be able to enter another one later. This ends his impressive streak of consecutive majors. Reed did manage a tie for 12th place at the Masters, which got him into the top 100 in the world rankings, and even played in last week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla. Despite that, he couldn’t get into the top 60 to clinch a spot at the U.S. Open. He’s currently ranked 92nd and needed a third-place finish at Valhalla, but he ended up tying for 53rd.
Garcia, on the other hand, found himself in a nail-biting situation at the Dallas Athletic Club. He was just two holes away from securing one of the 11 available spots when a double bogey on the par-5 16th put him in a seven-man playoff. Unfortunately, he bogeyed the first playoff hole and became the first alternate, leaving his hopes of playing at Pinehurst hanging by a thread.
Both Reed and Garcia play for LIV Golf, which doesn’t earn them world-ranking points, adding another layer of difficulty to their qualifying efforts.
The Dallas qualifier was just the beginning, with nine players from LIV Golf competing. Eugenio Chacarra was the only one to make it through and will be playing in his first major. The next set of qualifiers will be on June 3.
As for the broader picture, Monday saw the field for the U.S. Open starting to take shape for the June 15-18 tournament. A total of 52 players were added to the 156-man field, including 21 from the top 60 in the world rankings and 23 from the qualifying rounds in Dallas, Japan, and England.
Big names like Justin Rose have managed to avoid the qualifying rounds. Rose’s exemption for winning the U.S. Open at Merion expired last year, but he tied for sixth at the PGA Championship, moving him up to No. 56 in the rankings.
Other notable additions include Billy Horschel, Peter Malnati, and Mackenzie Hughes, who were among the top five players in the PGA Tour’s FedExCup standings not already eligible for the U.S. Open. The European tour’s Race to Dubai also offered exemptions, adding three more players to the roster.
In Japan, Ryo Ishikawa led the qualifiers, while in England, Robert Rock and Matteo Manassero were among the nine to make it through.
With Reed and Garcia out, the U.S. Open field continues to evolve. All eyes will be on Pinehurst No. 2 from June 15-18 as more players secure their spots.
