USGA executive director Mike Davis suggested that only the players who arrive early to prepare at Chambers Bay will have a chance to win this year’s U.S. Open.
What about the nearly dozen 20-somethings who have already had a competitive crack at the links-style course?
With sectional qualifying in the books, it’s worth noting that 11 players who competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur have already booked return trips to Chambers. (The USGA will fill out the other six spots in the field with those from the OWGR top 60 and alternate list.)
Some of the returnees aren’t surprising – Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Byeong-Hun An.