4 Las Vegans survive qualifiers to make US Open field

Four Las Vegas golfers earned spots in next week’s U.S. Open by making it through final qualifying, a 36-hole, one-day marathon among the toughest experiences in golf.

PGA Tour members Kurt Kitiyama and Joseph Bramlett, and Korn Ferry Tour players Harry Hall and Taylor Montgomery survived the grueling tests to punch their tickets to The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Not as fortunate were 10 others from Las Vegas, including PGA Tour players Maverick McNealy, Nick Watney, Charley Hoffman, Scott Piercy and David Lipsky, as well as Jack Trent, Max Marsico and Jhared Hack, and amateurs Jackson Parrish and Hazen Newman.

Final qualifying was at nine U.S. locations, as well as in Japan and Canada to fill out the field.

Bramlett was the medalist at his qualifier in Rockville, Maryland, where he nabbed one of four spots from a field of 72. The former Stanford player is looking forward to his third U.S. Open but first since 2019.

“Playing a major championship is something you can never take for granted,” Bramlett told Stanford athletics for its website. “It’s been three years for me since I’ve been in one, and I’m itching and very excited to get back.”

Kitayama, a former UNLV player who has made Las Vegas his home, was co-medalist in Dallas at the one qualifier held last week. The crowded field of 98 players was littered with PGA Tour players, and he nabbed one of the 13 slots.

Montgomery tied for third at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, earning one of five spots in the 88-player field. It is the second consecutive year Montgomery has made it through qualifying to the U.S. Open, having made the cut in 2021 at Torrey Pines.

Hall was co-medalist in Roswell, Georgia, continuing his recent hot streak to make his first U.S. Open. Two weeks ago, he won the NV5 Invitational outside of Chicago, then last week finished fifth in the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, North Carolina, to move to 11th on the season points list.

Four other Las Vegas residents are also in the U.S. Open field and were exempt from qualifying: Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Seamus Power and Xander Schauffele, along with former UNLV standout Adam Scott.

Hall of Fame calls

Five individuals have been tapped to enter the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony before the Shriners Children’s Open in October.

— Jeremy Anderson was a member of the 1998 NCAA champion UNLV team and played on the PGA Tour. He is the current president of the UNLV Men’s Golf Foundation.

— Bob Coffin won the 1970 Nevada State Amateur title before playing golf at UNLV. He went on to a career in politics, serving on the Las Vegas City Council and Nevada State Senate.

— Dale Hahn is the golf course superintendent of TPC Summerlin and past president of the Southern Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association.

— Dave Johnson was director of golf at Desert Inn and then Cascata for three decades. He was a huge supporter of UNLV golf and oversaw dozens of PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour events in Las Vegas.

— Ann Sunstrum is executive director of the Southern Nevada Golf Association, overseeing a period of growth and financial stability. She also serves on the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association and Nevada Golf Alliance, and has been key in making Mesquite an attractive golf destination.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.