USGA cancels U.S. Open qualifying, leaving Franklin Regional grad Jackson disappointed

Palmer Jackson was enjoying the day on a lake in Cambria County when he learned the news Monday that the United States Golf Association was cancelling all qualifiers for championship events.

That means even though Jackson had received exemption to participate in the sectional qualifier, he won’t get a chance to participate in the U.S. Open on Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

“Yeah, I’m disappointed, especially getting exempt because of my finish in the 2019 U.S. Amateur,” said the 2019 Franklin Regional grad and Notre Dame freshman. “I played well last year and all I had to do was put together two good rounds. With that, I still have many more years to play in the Open.”

The U.S Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur will all be conducted without qualifying, which means the fields will be filled entirely through exemptions.

“As you can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult decision, as qualifying is a cornerstone of USGA championships,” John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of championships for the USGA, said in a release. “We take great pride in the fact that many thousands typically enter to pursue their dream of qualifying for a USGA championship and we deeply regret that they will not have that opportunity this year. But this structure provides the best path forward for us to conduct these championships in 2020.”

The WPGA was scheduled to play host to U.S. Open local qualifiers at Butler Country Club and the Pines Golf Club in Morgantown, W.Va., the U.S. Women’s Open sectional at Shannopin and the U.S. Amateur sectional at Quicksilver on July 15.

Jackson is exempt to play in the 120th U.S. Amateur at Bandon (Ore.) Dunes Golf Resort, which will be conducted as scheduled Aug. 10-16, provided CDC recommendations and state and local government guidelines make it possible to do so.

“The plan is to play in that event,” Jackson said.

The USGA did cancel four 2020 amateur championships on Monday: the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

The USGA previously announced the cancellation of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Senior Women’s Open, U.S. Girls Junior and U.S. Junior Amateur.

The 75th U.S. Women’s Open will be played Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.

“Throughout this process, our primary focus has been the safety and well-being of everyone involved, including our players, volunteers, host club representatives and staff,” Bodenhamer said. “We have not taken these decisions lightly and wish we had more options. But with a continued, keen interest in doing what is best for all involved, although we are extremely disappointed, this is the right decision.”

WPGA executive director Terry Teasdale said he was unsure if the WPGA would play host to any qualifiers for future USGA events this fall. “Stay tuned,” he said.