SUMMIT, N.J. (May 25, 2006) - TeenagerMichelle Wie, 16, will attempt to become the first woman in history to qualify for the U.S. Open Championship when she joins the field of 153 players on Monday, June 5th at Canoe Brook Country Club for the 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying Round.  Wie headlines a strong field that will include the likes of two-time major championship winner Mark O’Meara, PGA Championship winner Mark Brooks and two-time Masters champion and ten-time Ryder Cup team member Bernhard Langer. These and several other prominent players are seeking a coveted spot in the 106th U.S. Open Championship, to be held June 15-18, 2006 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Wie has already secured a place in USGA history after finishing as medalist in Local Qualifying at the Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii, to become the first woman to advance to a Sectional Qualifying Round of a U.S. Open Championship.  

 

She made her mark as an amateur on the LPGA Tour last year with top-five finishes in both the Women’s British Open and the LPGA Championship.  She entered the 2006 season ranked third in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, and in May she made her first cut at a men’s professional event at the Asian Tour’s SK Telecom Open in South Korea.  She finished in a tie for the 35th place.  In addition to her recent success, Wie has also accepted a special exemption into the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, to be played at Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island.

Wie will have her work cut out for her at Canoe Brook, as the field is one of the strongest in history and features top players from the PGA and Nationwide Tours, several former national amateur champions and some of the Met Area’s finest club professionals and amateurs. Among the PGA Tour favorites are J.J. Henry of Fairfield, Conn., a former Connecticut State Amateur Champion and a Tour regular since 2000 who is enjoying his best season ever with three top-ten finishes, including a second-place finish at the FBR Open in February.  Henry, who qualified for the U.S. Open at Canoe Brook in 2005, currently sits in 40th place on the PGA Tour money list. Billy Andrade and J.P. Hayes, both multiple winners on Tour, will also be in the field, as will Brett Quigley.

From the Nationwide Tour, Chris Nallen of Hackettstown, N.J. looks to return to Winged Foot, where he reached the semi-finals in the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship.  Nallen has two top-25 finishes this season, including a top-10 at the Rheem Classic in May, and was one of the five players to reach the U.S. Open through Sectional Qualifying at Canoe Book in 2005 (see SQR history).

As always, the field at Canoe Brook will include some the of the Met Area’s top club professionals, including 2004 and 1998 Met Open champion Rick Hartmann of Atlantic Golf Club who will be paired with Wie, former New York State PGA champion Craig Thomas of the Muttontown Club, former New England PGA champion Heath Wassem of Fenway Golf Club, two-time New Jersey State Open champion Chris Dachisen of North Jersey Country Club and former Met Open champion and Tour winner Bill Britton of Rumson, N.J.  2003 Met Open champion Andrew Svoboda of Stamford, Conn., who grew up playing at Winged Foot, also returns to the Met Area in his bid to qualify for his first U.S. Open.

An accomplished group of amateurs are also in the field this year, including 2006 New Jersey State Mid-Amateur champion Allan Small of Fairmount Country Club, 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion George Zahringer of Deepdale Golf Club and 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and former Met Area resident Austin Eaton, now of New Hampshire.  Duke University standout and former MGA Junior champion Michael Quagliano, as well as 2005 MGA/MetLife Public Links champion Mark Farrell of Westport, Conn., are also among the amateur contenders.

Traditionally, U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying in the Met Area attracts one of the most competitive fields in the country, and this year will be no exception. Each competitor will play one round each on Canoe Brook’s North and South Courses, which are considered among New Jersey’s most challenging layouts. All players who make it through qualifying at Canoe Brook advance to the 106th U.S. Open Championship.  Full 2005 results and this year’s local qualifying results are enclosed.

The Metropolitan Golf Association conducts the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying in the Metropolitan Area. For complete results from local and sectional qualifying rounds across the country, and for complete information on the U.S. Open, visitwww.usopen.com.

The sectional is open to the public and spectators should keep in mind that cell phones, PDAs, cameras, camcorders or any other electronic devices are not permitted on club grounds.

For more information contact Jeanne McCooey or Gene Westmoreland of the MGA at (914) 347-GOLF (4653) or visit the MGA website at www.mgagolf.org.