A record number of 10,127 entries have been received for this year’s U.S. Open Championship to be held from June 12th to 15th June at Pinehurst No. 2.

The number is 267 more than the record of 9,860 set last year for the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.

Among the record total are 51 players, including 12 past U.S. Open champions in Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, who are currently fully exempt into the field.

Defending champion Justin Rose among a record 10,175 entries for this year’s US Open.(Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

To be eligible to contest the year’s second major, a player has to have a handicap not exceeding 1.4 or be a professional.

Local qualifying, which will be played over 18 holes at 111 sites in the United States, will take place between May 2-19.

Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, will be conducted on Monday, May 26, at two international sites (Japan and England) and on Monday, June 2, at 10 sites in the U.S.

The USGA as organisers of the event indicated it accepted entries from golfers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 75 foreign countries.

For the fourth consecutive year, only online entries were accepted.

The USGA received 580 entries on the last day applications were accepted (April 23), including 115 in the final hour.

The USGA also reported Florida’s Travis Wells, who will turn 15 on May 1, submitted his entry just 26 seconds before the deadline while Jeff Lai, a 34-year-old amateur from Los Altos, California, was the first entrant when registration opened March 5.