Merritt Claims Spot in 2022 U.S. Open

June 7, 2022 | 8 min.
By Michael R Fermoyle


Two former Minnesota State Amateur champions -- Tom Hoge (2009, '10) and Erik Van Rooyen (2012) -- are exempt for the 2022 U.S. Open. And on Monday, another player with Minnesota connections, Troy Merritt, reserved a spot for himself next week (June 16-19) at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Merritt, a former basketball and golf star at Spring Lake Park High School, joined the party by navigating his way through the Sectional Qualifying at Springfield, Ohio. Matthys Doffue and Brian Stuard were co-medalists with 36-hole totals of 7-under-par 133 at Springfield Country Club. Merritt advanced by shooting 67-69--136, which put him in a four-way tie for fifth.

There were 77 players who started the qualifier, and they were competing for eight spots. That four-way tie for fifth at 136 made it a clean cut.  

Missing by a single stroke at Springfield CC was Jon Trasamar, the former University of Minnesota star (he finished third individually in the 2014 Big Ten Championships) and 2013 Pine to Palm champion. He opened with a 71 on Monday but came back with a 66 in the afternoon and finished in a five-way tie for ninth at 137. 

Also coming close was Austin Cook, a former PGA Tour winner and the grandson of former Minnesota State Open and State PGA champ John Cook. Austin shot 68-67--135 at a Sectional Qualifying in Dallas two weeks ago. (The Dallas sectional was one of two played on May 23; all the rest were played Monday). That 135 got him into a 6-for-2 playoff. He finished fourth in the playoff, which made him the second alternate from Dallas. 

Frankie Capan, the 2020 Minnesota State Amateur champ and MGA Player of the Year, made five birdies and no bogeys at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club on Monday morning, while shooting a 67. That put him in a pretty good position to qualify from Columbus, Ohio, where 106 players were vying for 13 places in the Open. But he could manage only one birdie in the afternoon at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club and finished with a 2-over 73. The resulting 36-hole aggregate of 140 missed a 5-for-1 playoff by two shots.

Derek Hitchner succeeded Capan as both State Am champ and Player of the Year in 2021. He was in Purchase, N.Y., and was one of 92 players trying for five spots. Two bogeys and a double in his first nine holes at Old Oaks Country Club didn't bode too well for his chances of advancing, but he played the back nine in 2 under and salvaged a 2-over 72 from the round. He then birdied his first two holes at Century Country Club in the afternoon and was back to even for the day. A 14-hole stretch that included three bogeys and no birdies did him in, although he ended the round the way he started it -- with two birdiles. That gave him a 69 (1 under) and a 141 (1 over) for the day, and he missed an 8-for-3 playoff by three strokes.   



2022 U.S. Open

At The Country Club

Brookline, Mass.  

June 16-19

Sectional Qualifying

May 23 

Dallas

At Lakewood CC, par 71

& at Royal Oaks CC, par 71

98 players for 13 spots 


T1. Kurt Kitayama                  65 (L) -66 (R) -- 131

T1. Matthew Nesmith             62 (R) -69 (L) -- 131

T1. Jinichiro Kozuma              68 (R) -63 (L) -- 131

T1. Sean Crocker                   64 (R) -67 (L) -- 131

What it took to qualify -- 135 (6-for-2 playoff) 

Did not qualify


T12. Austin Cook                    68 (R) -67 (L) -- 135 (2nd alternate)

WD -- Taylor Sundbom            79 (R) WD (L)


All other U.S. Open qualifiers shown here were played Monday, June 6


Springfield, Ohio 

At Springfield CC, par 70

77 players for 8 spots


T1. Matthys Daffue                 67-66--133

T1. Brian Stuard                     68-65--133

T3. Beau Hossler                    67-68--135

T3. Maxwell Moldovou            66-69--135

T5. Troy Merritt                      67-69--136

What it took -- 136 (4 players tied for 5th at 136)

Did not qualify

Jon Trasamar                        71-66--137

Zach Skiebar                         71-78--149

Will Frazier                             80-81--161



Purchase, N.Y. 

At Centrury CC, par 70

& at Old Oaks CC, par 70

92 players for 5 spots


T1. Chris Gotterup                  67 (C) -70 (OO) -- 137

T1. Caleb Manuel (A)              69 (OO) -68 (CC) -- 137

T3. Brandon Matthews            70 (OO) -68 (C) -- 138

T3. Michael Thorbjornson        67 (OO) -71 (C) -- 138

T3. Fran Quinn                         69 (OO) -69 (C) -- 138

What it took -- 138 (8-for-3 playoff)

Did not qualify

Derek Hitchner (a)                   72 (OO) -69 (C) -- 141

Alex Beach                               69 (C) -74 (OO) -- 143



Rockville, Md. 

At Woodmont CC - North Course, par 72

72 players for 4 spots


1. Joseph Bramlett                     66-70--136

2. Grayson Murray                     66-72--138

T3. Kevin Chappell                     69-72--141

T3. Andrew Beckler                    69-72--141

What it took -- 141 (2 players tied for third at 141)

Did not qualify

Josh Persons (a)                        73-71--144

Derek Chang                               77-74--151

Brett Reid (a)                               79-81--160



Columbus, Ohio

At Kinsale G&FC, par 72

& at Wedgewood G&CC, par 71

106 players for 13 spots


T1. Lanto Griffin                          69 (K) -62 (W) -- 131

T1. Chan Kim                              62 (W) -69 (K) -- 131

3. Davis Riley                              69 (K) -63 (W) -- 132

4. Chris Naegel                           65 (W) -69 (K) -- 134

What it took -- 138 (5-for-1 playoff)

Did not qualify

Frankie Capan (a)                         67 (K) -73 (W) -- 140

Ross Miller                                    68 (K) -75 (W) -- 143

Tommy Vining                                71 (W) -72 (K) -- 143

Bennett Swavely                            72 (W) -77 (K) -- 149

Angus Flanagan                             74 (W) -79 (K) -- 153



Bend, Ore. 

At Pronghorn Resort - Nicklaus Course, par 72

65 players for 3 spots


T1. Brady Calkins                              68-68--136

T1. Isaiah Salinda                              68-68--136

T3. Ben Lorenz                                  71-67--138

What it took -- 138 (2 for 1 playoff) 

Did not qualify 

Ben Warian                                         73-73--146


Jupiter, Fla. 

At The Club @ Admiral's Cove, par 71

70 players for 4 spots


T1. Ryan Gerard                                  66-71--137
     
T1. Sean Jacklin                                   66-71--137

3. Keith Greene                                    70-68--138

4. Fred Biondi                                       72-67--139

What it took -- 139

Did not qualify


Rickie Fowler                                        73-67--140 (1st alternate)

WD -- Andrew McCain                         74-WD  


Roswell, Ga. 

At Ainsley GC, par 72

68 players for 4 spots


T1. Chase Seiffert                                69-68--137

T1. Harry Hall                                       71-66--137

T3. Erik Barnes                                     70-68--138

T3. Matt McCarty                                    71-67--138

What it took -- 138 (3-for-2 playoff)

WD Ben Sigel                                           74-WD

Michael R Fermoyle

Mike Fermoyle’s amateur golf career features state titles in five different decades, beginning with the State Public Links (1969), three State Amateurs (1970, 1973 and 1980), and four State Four-Ball championships (1972, 1985, 1993 and 2001). Fermoyle was medalist at the Pine to Palm in 1971, won the Resorters in 1972, made the cut at the State Amateur 18 consecutive years (1969 to 1986), the last being 2000, and amassed 13 top-ten finishes. Fermoyle also made it to the semi-final matches at the MGA’s annual match play championship, the Players’, in 1982 and 1987.

Fermoyle enjoyed a career as a sportswriter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch before retiring in 2006. Two years later he began a second career covering the golf beat exclusively for the MGA and its website, mngolf.org, where he ranks individual prep golfers and teams, provides coverage on local amateur and professional tournaments and keeps tabs on how Minnesotans are faring on the various professional tours.

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