Stevens Point among 2023 U.S. Senior Open qualifying sites
For the Gazette
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) recently announced qualifying sites for the 43rd U.S. Senior Open Championship, including the Stevens Point Country Club.
The tournament will be held at SentryWorld, in Stevens Point,from June 29-July 2.
SentryWorld is hosting its first Senior Open and third USGA championship.
Conducted over 18 holes, qualifying will be held at 33 sites across the United States between May 8 and June 8.
Online entry applications are available now and will continue through Wednesday, May 3, at champ-admin.usga.org.
“The USGA is excited to bring senior golf’s most prestigious championship back to Wisconsin for the first time since 2007, where the world’s top players will compete for the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. “Allied Golf Associations throughout the United States help provide thousands of golfers the opportunity to earn a place in the 156-player field. This qualifying process is representative of the USGA’s core values and is important to the success of the championship.”
Those players who are exempt from qualifying and have already filed entries include 2022 champion Padraig Harrington, who won with a 72-hole score of 274 (10 under) at Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa. U.S. Senior Open champions Fred Funk (2009), Bernhard Langer (2010), Olin Browne (2011), Kenny Perry (2013, 2017), Colin Montgomerie (2014), Gene Sauers (2016) and Jim Furyk (2021) have also entered, along with U.S. Open champions Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Retief Goosen (2001, 2004), Michael Campbell (2005) and Furyk (2003).
Stevens Point Country Club, located four miles southeast of SentryWorld., will host a U.S. Senior Open qualifier on Friday, May 26.
The Portage County course has hosted the 1976 Wisconsin State Amateur and four Wisconsin State Opens in 1970, 1975, 1981 and 2000.
The 2023 U.S. Senior Open will be the 17th USGA championship contested in Wisconsin.
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4 or be a professional, and be 50 years of age at the start of championship play.
