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The field of contestants for golf's most democratic major has been set.
The USGA announced that it received 9,049 entries for this year's U.S. Open, with the deadline for entry expiring at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday. That total includes 515 applications on the final day, 115 in the final hour and a buzzer-beater from Drew Caudill, a 32-year-old pro from Mount Vernon, Ohio, who beat the entry deadline by only 23 seconds.
This marks the seventh straight year that the USGA has received more than 9,000 entries, but the total marks the second straight year of a decline in applications.