U.S. Open qualifiers: Adam Scott’s major streak likely ending as Joaquin Niemann, Zach Johnson also stumble

The field for the U.S. Open is now set.

“Golf’s Longest Day” was held on Monday, when 687 players competed for the final 44 available spots in the field at this year’s U.S. Open. The final 10 of the USGA’s 13 qualifiers were played on Monday, and plenty of regular PGA Tour and LIV Golf faces were among those competing for a place in the third major championship of the season.

Though thousands of people have a shot at the U.S. Open field, these qualifiers are especially important for LIV Golf members — as their tournaments don’t qualify for world rankings points. That’s made it increasingly difficult for golfers to earn spots in major, especially if they don’t have an automatic exemption.

The 44 golfers who earned spots Monday joined 23 others who earned spots at three earlier qualifiers, which were held previously in Japan, England and Texas. In total, 10,052 golfers attempted to qualify. Of the 44 golfers who made it in, 22 of them are fully exempt PGA Tour members.

The U.S. Open is set for Pinehurst in North Carolina. It will kick off on June 13.

Cam Davis ends Adam Scott’s major streak

Adam Scott’s major championship run appears to be over.

After making an incredible 91 straight major championships, Scott fell in a playoff to Cam Davis in the Springfield, Ohio, qualifier on Monday night. Unless he gets in as an alternate, Scott will now miss his first major championship since he missed the U.S. Open in 2001.

Scott gave it a good run on Monday, and he chipped-in for birdie on the first playoff hole. But Davis answered with his own birdie putt, and then two holes later, stuck his approach right by the cup to set himself up for the winning birdie.

Scott, who has won 14 times on the PGA Tour, including the 2013 Masters, has struggled in recent years. His last win came in 2020 at the Genesis Invitational, but he missed the cut at both the PGA Championship last month and last year’s U.S. Open in Los Angeles. He’s ranked No. 60 in the world, and although the top 60 in the world at the end of this week earn spots in the U.S. Open field, Scott is almost sure to drop because he’s not in the field at this week’s Memorial Tournament.

Davis has won once on the PGA Tour at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021. He played in his first U.S. Open last year, but he missed the cut.

Other notable names fail to qualify

Joaquín Niemann is probably the biggest non-PGA Tour name who failed to earn a spot in the U.S. Open field on Monday. Niemann was playing at The Bear’s Club in Florida, where Matt Kuchar won the event. Niemann finished at 2-under on the day, which was just a shot off from making the playoff.

Niemann won twice on the PGA Tour before he made the jump to LIV Golf. He’s the captain of the Torque team, which is currently in fourth in the season standings, and he’s currently first in the season-long individual standings with a more than 30-point lead over Jon Rahm. Niemann, however, is currently ranked No. 95 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Since he didn’t earn a spot a different way, and he failed to make the cut on Monday, Niemann will miss out on the U.S. Open.

Zach Johnson, who was the U.S. Ryder Cup captain in Rome last fall, failed to qualify in Ohio on Monday. He posted a 2-under on the day, which was five shots out from the cut. Johnson, a 12-time Tour winner and two-time major winner, hasn’t won since 2015. He’s missed the cut five times on Tour this season, including last week at the RBC Canadian Open.

Other notable golfers who missed out include Stewart Cink, Charley Hoffman, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel, Luke Donald and Jason Dufner.

Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed already failed to qualify

Though Monday was the longest day in golf, it wasn’t the only opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Open.

A few notable names already missed out on qualifying last month, including both Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia. Both golfers missed the mark at the Dallas Athletic Club qualifier on May 20.

Garcia just barely missed out. He was named the first alternate out of the region after losing a seven-for-six playoff. Like Scott, Garcia can still make it into the U.S. Open if someone withdraws. Reed withdrew from the qualifier before it began, which will end his impressive run at major championships. Reed has competed at every major since the 2014 Masters. Since he withdrew from the event, he’s not allowed to try and compete at a different qualifier.

Joel Dahmen, Kevin Streelman, Henrik Norlander, Cam Champ, Brendan Steele and Ryan Moore also didn’t qualify in Dallas. Francesco Molinari was one of the 11 who did qualify from that region.

Full U.S. Open Qualifier Results

Full results from all 10 qualifying tournaments on Monday.

Cherry Hill Club | Ontario, Canada

7 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Mark Hubbard

Adam Svensson

Rico Hoey

Davis Thompson

Greyson Sigg

Aaron Rai

Ashton McCulloch (a)

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Stewart Cink

Bud Cauley

Charley Hoffman

Maverick McNealy

Chez Reavie

The Bear’s Club | Jupiter, Florida

5 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Matt Kuchar

Daniel Berger

Dean Burmester

Luke Clanton (a)

Willie Mack

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Ryan Armour

Luke Donald

Branden Grace

Graeme McDowell

Joaquin Niemann

Charl Schwartzel

Peter Uihlein

Anirban Lahiri

The Golf Club of Georgia | Alpharetta, Georgia

3 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Jackson Buchanan (a)

Chris Petefish

Frederik Kjettrup (a)

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Hudson Swafford

Woodmont Country Club | Rockville, Maryland

3 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Tim Widing

Isaiah Salinda

Wells Williams (a)

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Kevin Chappell

Marc Leishman

Sebastián Muñoz

Canoe Brook Country Club | Summit, New Jersey

4 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Benjamin James (a)

Max Greyserman

Andrew Svoboda

Jim Herman

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Michael Thorbjornsen

Duke University Golf Club | Durham, North Carolina

7 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Frankie Capan III

Brian Campbell

Sam Bennett

Chesson Hadley

Webb Simpson

Carter Jenkins

Harry Higgs

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Bill Haas

Chesson Hadley

Harold Varner III

Ohio State University Golf Club | Columbus, Ohio

5 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Justin Lower

Seamus Power

Brendon Todd

Gunnar Broin

Chris Naegel

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Padraig Harrington

Luke Lust

Jhonattan Vegas

Springfield Country Club | Springfield, Ohio

4 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Zac Blair

Beau Hossler

Carson Schaake

Cam Davis

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Adam Scott

Zach Johnson

Beau Hossler

Lake Merced Golf Club | Daly City, California

4 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

David Puig

Omar Morales (a)

John Chin

Charles Reiter

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

Preston Summerhays

Dylan Menante

Pronghorn Resort | Bend, Oregon

2 qualifying spots

Qualifiers:

Joey Vrzich

Colin Prater (a)

Notable Non-Qualifiers:

None