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SALT LAKE CITY — It isn’t often that the state of Utah produces two U.S. Open golfers.
But for the second-straight year, Utah natives Daniel Summerhays and Tony Finau both qualified as alternates for the U.S. Golf Association's national championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, according to a source with knowledge of the field.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the PGA Tour has not finalized the official pairings. A formal announcement is expected Monday.
Both golfers were on the alternate list going into Sunday's final qualifiers. The U.S. Open reserves six spots for golfers who move into the top-60 in the two weeks prior to the major, but none of the seven players eligible for the move were in contention for a spot by Sunday.
Summerhays and Finau were on their way to participate in Monday’s practice round and were not immediately available for comment. The duo clinched alternate status for the U.S. Open after each lost by a slim margin in separate qualifiers in Ohio a week ago.
The former BYU golfer Summerhays lost in a sudden-death playoff in Powell, Ohio, on June 7, but the Fruit Heights resident was placed in one of the strongest fields of qualifiers, which placed him high on the list of alternates for players who did not complete qualifying through attaining a top-60 spot in the rankings.
Summerhays finished tied for 27th at the U.S. Open in 2015.
Finau, who currently lives in Lehi, lost in a two-man playoff in Springfield, Ohio, after his attempt to automatically qualify for his second-straight U.S. Open. The West High graduate finished tied for 14th last June at Chambers Bay.
