USGA Announces Final 3 Exemptions and Completion of Field for 119th U.S. Open Championship

Andrew Putnam earned an exemption based on the current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Putnam, of University Place, Wash., who is No. 50 in the OWGR, is playing in his second U.S. Open. The 30-year-old has five top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a second-place showing in the Sony Open in Hawaii. Putnam, who competed in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, has one PGA Tour victory and is playing in his third professional major championship.

Emiliano Grillo, who is No. 53 in the OWGR, is making his fourth U.S. Open start. The 26-year-old from Argentina posted his best finish in 2016 when he tied for 54th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. He has seven top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a tie for second in the CIMB Classic. Grillo has one win apiece on the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

Scott Piercy, who is No. 59 in the OWGR, is competing in his eighth U.S. Open. He tied for second with Shane Lowry and Jim Furyk behind champion Dustin Johnson in 2016 at Oakmont. Piercy, 40, of Las Vegas, Nev., owns six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season. He tied for second at the AT&T Byron Nelson and tied for third at the RBC Heritage. Piercy has won four PGA Tour events, including the 2012 RBC Canadian Open and the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Billy Horschel.

The USGA held six spots in the field for those players who could potentially qualify by moving into the top 60 of the OWGR, as of June 10. Since Putnam, Grillo and Piercy were the only players to earn an exemption, three alternates from sectional qualifying were added to the field. They are Joel Dahmen, Bernd Wiesberger and Harris English.

Dahmen, 31, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was the first alternate from the Columbus, Ohio, sectional. He is playing in his first U.S. Open. Dahmen has recorded seven top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2018-19. He finished second to Max Homa in the Wells Fargo Championship on May 5.

Bernd Wiesberger, 33, of Austria, was the first alternate from the England sectional. He is competing in his fifth U.S. Open. His best finish was a tie for 16th in 2017 at Erin Hills. Wiesberger has won five events on the PGA European Tour, including the Made in Denmark event on May 26.

Harris English is playing in his fourth U.S. Open. The 29-year-old from Sea Island, Ga., was the first alternate from the Canada sectional qualifier. He has played in three U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for 37th in 2016. English, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, has competed in eight USGA championships, including three U.S. Amateurs. He was a member of the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team.

Pebble Beach Golf Links, which is celebrating its centennial in 2019, has hosted the U.S. Open Championship in five consecutive decades. The 119th edition is the 13th USGA championship to be conducted at the resort. Past U.S. Open champions at Pebble Beach are: Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tom Watson (1982), Tom Kite (1992), Tiger Woods (2000) and Graeme McDowell (2010).

There were 110 U.S. Open local qualifying sites that led to 12 sectional qualifiers, including international sites in Japan, England and Canada. Sectional qualifying in the United States took place at nine sites in the states of California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington. The USGA accepted 9,125 entries by the deadline of April 24, the sixth-highest total in championship history.

The list of the 78 golfers who are fully exempt into the 2019 U.S. Open (as of June 10):