Luke Donald earns place in US Open field after final qualifying
Last Updated: 10/06/15 4:09pm
Luke Donald gave himself a much-needed confidence boost as he came through qualifying for the US Open in Florida.
The former world No 1 was forced to go through the qualifying process having fallen to 66th in the world rankings, and struggled early on at the Bears Club in Jupiter as he posted a level-par 72.
But Donald found his rhythm in the afternoon and secured his place in the field at Chambers Bay with an excellent 68, featuring seven birdies and three bogeys that saw him finish joint top of the leaderboard along with Andrew Pope and amateur Jack Maguire.
Donald had his swing coach Pat Goss as his caddie for both rounds, and he tweeted afterwards: "It's been a while since I walked 36 holes, but we made it! @patgossnugolf did a fine job on the bag."
In total, 58 spots were available across 10 venues in the United States, with two-time champion Lee Janzen topping the leaderboard at four under in Purchase, New York, to secure his place while in Georgia, amateur Matthew NeSmith fired 17 birdies and an eagle in rounds of 63 and 64 to finish 17 under and seal his spot.
Another two-time winner who had to come through qualifying was Retief Goosen, who finished on six under in Tennessee to make it through by one shot, while Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa came through qualifying in Columbus, Ohio.
But former major champions Vijay Singh and Stewart Cink failed to finish in the top 15, and Steve Stricker was another to miss out in Columbus.
Chris DiMarco, Brett Wetterich and 1970 champion Tony Jacklin's son Sean were among those to miss out in Florida.
David Lingmerth claimed his maiden victory on the PGA Tour over the weekend at the Memorial Tournament but could not back it up after finishing on three under over his two rounds, four shots adrift of the cut line.
Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman also missed out along with 2001 Open winner David Duval and big-hitting Scotsman Martin Laird.
