Eugene, Ore. (May 15, 2015) – The USGA is hosting its first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest at Chambers Bay, a golf links that opened in 2007, bringing a series of firsts and newness to the U.S. Open.  However, players wishing to qualify through Oregon’s only U.S. Open qualifier must come out on top through the old, traditional Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore. on Monday, May 18^th.

The Oregon Golf Association, the USGA state representative, will conduct the qualifying tournament.  The top nine players from the local qualifier at Eugene Country Club will advance to 36-holes of USGA Sectional Qualifying at the Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, Wash.

Eugene Country Club is a member course of the Oregon Golf Association and has hosted many prestigious championships in its 116 years of operation.  Four USGA championships have been hosted at the club, including the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur.  The club also recently won a bid to host the 2016 NCAA Division I Championship.  The course will play to a length of 7,020 yards as a par-71 on Monday.

A full field of 155 players will be featured in the 18-hole qualifier, including elite golfers from Oregon and other states.  Former Oregon Amateur champions Thomas Lim, Andrew Vijarro and Jack Dukeminier will be in the field, as will 2013 OSAA Player of the Year and current University of California – Berkley player Clayton Madey.  Canadian professional James Allenby will also attempt to qualify at Eugene Country Club, as will University of Oregon and former PGA Tour Professional Casey Martin.  The first groups will tee off at 7:15 am.  For a complete list of pairings and tee times, click here.

This year’s U.S. Open will visit the Pacific Northwest for the first time in its 115-year history as Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. hosts the championship from June 18-21. There were 9,882 entries accepted by the USGA, which conducts the championship, the most entries ever accepted for a U.S. Open held on the West Coast, and second only to last year’s record number of 10,127 entries. To be eligible, golfers must either be a professional, or be an amateur with a handicap index of 1.4 or less.

Follow live scoring from the local qualifier at Eugene Country Club at www.oga.org, and use hashtags #RoadtoChambersBay and #USOpen to participate on social media.

About the USGA

The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.

The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.

For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org