At the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Oak Hill Country Club on May 15, four golfers, including two from Rochester – Adam Condello of Locust Hill, above left and Colin Dubnik of Oak Hill, second from right – earned spots in the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Round on Tuesday, June 5.
On May 15, Oak Hill Country Club’s famed East Course hosted a field of 70 golfers for a U.S. Open Local Qualifier – a chance for the top four finishers to qualify for the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Round, the final step towards qualifying for the 117th U.S. Open Championship on June 15 to 18.
Among those players winning those four spots were two Rochester-area amateurs – Locust Hill Country Club’s Adam Condello and Oak Hill’s Colin Dubnik – along with a recently-declared professional from Buffalo, Billy Gaffney, and a pro tour golfer from Canada, Chang Won Woo.
On Tuesday, June 5, 10 of the 12 one-day, 36-hole Sectional Qualifiers were held at locations across the U.S., including one hosted by Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey, where both Dubnik and Condello were attempting to qualify for the Open.
Dubnik came the closest of the two to qualifying for the U.S. Open, posting scores of 68-72 for a 2-under-par 140 total – but unfortunately, that was still 5 shots behind the final qualifying position for the site, in which only the top 5 players earned the right to advance to the U.S. Open. Condello posted scores of 73-73 for a 4-over-par 146 total.
Woo, who also chose Canoe Brook as his Sectional Qualifying site, withdrew from the qualifier prior to the start of the round and Gaffney posted a 71 in the first round of the 36-hole Sectional Qualifier in Columbus, Ohio before he was forced to withdraw.
In addition to Dubnik and Condello, three other golfers with local ties also attempted to enter the U.S. Open field in the Sectional Qualifying Round:
- Davidde Giordano, a Rochester native from Greece and a two-time RDGA Boys Junior Champion (1996, 1997) now living in Jupiter, Florida, also played in the Sectional Qualifier hosted by Canoe Brook in New Jersey. Giordano posted scores of 72-74 for a 4-over-par 146 total, missing the final qualifying spot by 11 shots.
- Pittsford’s Gavin Hall – the three-time RDGA District Championship winner who recently graduated from the University of Texas as a member of the men’s golf team there – attempted to qualify for the Open in the Sectional Qualifier held in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, June 5. One of the more popular of the Sectional Qualifying sites, with several PGA Tour pros in the field following the nearby Memorial Tournament the weekend before, the event offered 14 qualifying positions. Although he posted scores of 74-67 for a 3-nder-par 141 total, Hall still missed the last qualifying spot by 5 shots.
- Dominic Bozzelli – another Pittsford native and two-time RDGA Match Play Champion who is now a full-time professional and member of the PGA Tour – was also attempting to qualify at the Columbus, Ohio Sectional Qualifier. Bozzelli carded impressive scores of 68 and 70 for a 6-under-par 138 total – but that still wasn’t enough to finish among the players qualifying for the Open at 8-under-par.
The 2017 U.S. Open begins on Thursday, June 15 at Erin Hills, a first-time host of the Championship just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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2017 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Rounds
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