Triple Major Winning Padraig Harrington is the stand out star teeing up Monday in a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier at Walton Heath in Surrey, England.
The Irishman is among a small field of 105 players vying for between nine to 13 places into next month’s June 16th commencing U.S. Open at Oakmont on the outskirts of Pittsburg.
Harrington also is the only former Major Champion teeing up at Walton Heath.
But then it’s not the first occasion the now 44-year old Harrington will have sought to qualify for a U.S. Open at the heathland golfing gem to the souht of London.
Harrington first teed-up at Walton Heath in 2014 and a year after his five-year U.S. Open exemption in capturing the 2008 PGA Championship ended.
A year ago, the now World No. 152 bogeyed the last to miss out by a shot in seeking to qualify for the Chambers Bay U.S. Open.
“I had three days practicing at Royal Troon earlier this week and then I played a practice round at Walton Heath on Friday morning,” he said.
“The course is in great shape as it always is, so hopefully after missing out the last two years at Walton Heath it will be a case of third time lucky on Monday.”
Harrington had contested every U.S. Open from 1997 to 20013 and with the only exemption being in 1999.
His best finish was tied 4th in 2012 at the Olympic Club in California while he was fifth in 2000 and also 2006.
Joining the newly-appointed 2016 European Ryder Cup vice-captain at Walton Heath will be former European Ryder Cup stars including Sweden’s Peter Hanson, Denmark’s Soren Hansen, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, England’s Ross Fisher and Italy’s Edoardo Molinari.
