U.S. Open Championship

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, NY

June 14-17, 2018

 

April 26, 2018

 

To:                   2018 U.S. Open Local Qualifying Contestants

 

From:               Bill Coomer, Director, Amateur-Professional Competitions

                       Golf House Kentucky

 

RE:                 Groupings, Starting Times, Grooves/Punch Marks Policy, etc.

 

Please review the groupings and starting times for the qualifying round of the U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying scheduled to be played at Kearney Hill Golf Links, Lexington, KY on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Please contact Kearney Hill concerning practice rounds and directions to the course. The phone number is (859) 253-1981.

 

There are (102) competitors in the field.

The allocation of qualifying spots for this qualifier advancing to Sectional Qualifying will be (6) six.

 

The 2018 USGA “Hard Card” containing the Local Rules and Conditions of the Competition for USGA Championships will be presented to you when you arrive at your starting tee. Any additional information concerning local rules and/or conditions of play will also be presented to you at that time. Conditions of the Competition include:

 

Golf Balls:

The condition of the Conforming Golf Ball and the One Ball Condition shall be in effect for this qualifying competition.

 

Conforming Driver Heads:

Optional Condition as prescribed in Appendix I is in effect.

 

Transportation:

Players are not permitted the use of automotive transportation during the stipulated round. Pull carts are permitted by the USGA in qualifying.

 

DMD (Distance Measuring Devices) including GPS-based systems and laser rangefinders are not allowed during this USGA Championship or any stage of qualifying.

 

New Groove/Punch Marks Policy is in Effect:

U.S. Open: In Local (first stage) and Sectional (second stage) Qualifying as well as in the Championship proper, the player’s clubs must conform to the groove specifications in the Rules of Golf effective January 1, 2010.

Note: Ping EYE2 clubs manufactured prior to April 1990 may not be used during Local and Sectional Qualifying as well as the Championship proper. The Condition of Competition is available for review on the entry application.

The USGA and R&A have created a reference resource called the Informational Club Database to assist golfers in determining whether their irons, hybrids and fairway woods comply with the New Groove Rules. For information about and to access the database, please use the following link: http://www.usga.org/InfoClubsDB/intro.html.

Additionally, for information regarding the conformance status of clubs not listed, please contact the USGA Research and Test Center at (908) 234‐2300.

Please use the following link:

http://www.usga.org/equipment/testing/submission_process/Checking‐Clubs‐for‐Conformance‐to‐the‐New‐Groove‐Rules(2)/  for more information.

The USGA strongly suggests that all players verify the conformance of their clubs well in advance of their scheduled qualifying competition. It is the player’s responsibility, not the USGA’s responsibility to ensure that his clubs conform. Waiting until the day of the competition is the fault of the player. The Committee is under no obligation to test the club the competitor may play. However, if it is later determined that the club is non‐conforming, including after the competition has closed, the player will be disqualified.

 

Should you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (800) 254-2742.