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Area players come up short of qualifying for U.S. Open

Washington State golfer Sam Renner was one of a handful of locals trying to qualify for the U.S. Open. (Courtesy of WSU Athletics)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

Washington State’s Nate Plaster and Sam Renner, former Cougar Derek Bayley, Gonzaga’s Guillermo Polo Bodart and Idaho’s Matt McGann came up short in their attempt to qualify for the 124th U.S. Open.

The five were among 672 at 10 sites vying for 44 qualifying spots Monday, known as golf’s longest day.

Plaster, Renner, Bayley and McGann competed for just two spots in a field of 44 at Pronghorn Resort’s Nicklaus Course in Bend, Oregon.

Renner posted scores of 76 and 74 to finish tied for 16th. Plaster shot 73-78 to tie for 18th. McGann, who was teammates with Plaster at Gonzaga Prep, started with two straight birdies but finished with a 4-over 76 before an 83 in the afternoon.

Bayley, an Idaho state champion at Lakeland High in Rathdrum before playing four years at WSU, had a pair of 80s.

Joey Vrzich was the medalist with a 5-under 139 and Colin Prater also qualified with a 3-under 141.

Polo Bodart played the back nine in 3 under but two 39s on the front left him at 3-over 147 at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California. The Argentina native tied for 45th. David Puig’s 12-under 132 led four qualifiers in an 84-player field.

Clarkston native Joel Dahmen shot a 2-over 72 on May 20 at the Dallas Athletic Club Blue Course and didn’t make the cut for the second round of final qualifying. He finished tied for 10th place Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open.

Stocker qualifies for PGA Tour Americas’ North America swingZach Stocker, a former Central Valley High and Gonzaga standout, recently earned an exempt membership for the North America swing on the PGA Tour Americas.

Stocker finished at 13-under 275 to tie for third in a PGA Tour Americas qualifier at Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Nine qualified out of roughly 130 players.

The North America swing features 10 events from June to September in the U.S. and Canada. The PGA Latinoamerica and PGA Canada tours combined this season to form the PGA Tour Americas. The top 10 at the end of the season earn spots on the Korn Ferry Tour.