The Old Course at Walton Heath, which has staged a US Open qualifier for Europe since 2005

THE qualifiers for the 2020 US Open on both sides of the Atlantic have been scrapped by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

Each year thousands of amateurs, club professionals as well as Tour stars from all over the world enter the USGA’s regional and sectional qualifiers.

They include the event held at Walton Heath GC, in Surrey, every June, in the build up to the US Open.

But the USGA has decided the challenge of staging even the 15 sectional qualifiers is too great while the world is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 90,000 people in the USA.

As a result the 2020 US Open – which is set to be staged at New York’s Winged Foot GC, from September 17-20 – will not be a true Open, relying on bigger exemption categories.

John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s managing director of championships, said: “As you can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult decision, as qualifying is a cornerstone of USGA championships.

“We take great pride in the fact that many thousands typically enter to pursue their dream of qualifying for a USGA championship, and we deeply regret they will not have that opportunity this year.

“But this structure provides the best path forward for us to conduct these championships in 2020.”

The USGA has yet to decide if fans will be allowed to attend the US Open in September – the first four PGA Tour events, which get under way in June at Texas’ Colonial Club, will be behind closed doors.

The first PGA Tour event that MAY admit spectators is the John Deere Classic, in Illinois, in early July.

South African Dean Burmester (right) headed the 14 qualifiers at Walton Heath for last year’s US Open at Pebble Beach. Picture by EUROPEAN TOUR

No decision on crowds at US Open

“We have not yet made a final determination regarding whether spectators will be able to attend the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club,” a USGA spokesman said.

“Given the realities of the pandemic, we are recreating the entire championship experience for everyone involved.

“We appreciate and understand everyone’s questions and will provide more information as soon as possible.”

All the changes mean the USGA will now conduct just four championships in 2020 – all at their originally scheduled sites.

The 75th US Women’s Open will now be played at Houston’s Champions Golf Club ,in Texas, from December 10-13.

The 120th US Women’s Amateur, at Maryland’s Woodmont Country Club (August 3-9), and the 120th US Amateur, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Orgegon (August 10-16), will be conducted as scheduled – provided that state and local government guidelines allow them to be played.

Testing and robust health and safety protocols – in line with America’s CDC regulations – will be in place at each of the four championships, the USGA stressed.

All four championships will be conducted without qualifying. That means the fields will be filled entirely through exemptions.

The USGA spokesman added: “Given continued health and safety concerns – as well as the potential burden on allied golf sssociations and the courses scheduled to host qualifying – conducting hundreds of qualifiers across the country for the US Women’s Amateur, US Amateur, US Open and US Women’s Open was not seen as a viable option.

USGA introduced US Open qualifiers in 1924

QUALIFIERS were introduced for the US Open in 1924, because of the surge in entries and interest following World War One.

In 1959, the USGA instituted the two-stage qualifying process. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only two golfers to advance through both stages of qualifying and win the U.S. Open.

So far in 2020, 50 players had earned exemptions for the championship by May 18 when the USGA announced it was cancelling this year’s qualifiers.

The USGA will provide more information on the expanded exemption categories which will determine the field for Winged Foot, in the coming weeks.

Four more US amateur championships in 2020 have also been cancelled:–

• US Women’s Mid-Amateur – Berkeley Hall Club, South Carolina, Aug 29-Sept 3
• US Senior Amateur – Country Club of Detroit, Aug 29-Sept 3
• US Mid-Amateur – Kinloch Golf Club and Independence Golf Club, Virginia, Sept 12-17
• US Senior Women’s Amateur – The Lakewood Club, Alabama, Sept. 12-17.

On top of that list, the US Amateur Four-Ball, US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, US Senior Open, US Senior Women’s Open were cancelled by the USGA in in March and April, while the US Girls’ Junior and US Junior Amateur were added to the list last month.

Ryder Cup set to follow US Open but will fans be present?

THE US Open is set to take place a week prior to the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

The PGA of America – which organises the biennial event along with the European Tour – have yet to decide whether fans will be admitted or not.

Many leading players from both Europe and the USA – including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Brooks Kopeka and Jon Rahm – have said the match should be postponed rather than played without its unique atmosphere created by the large, partisan galleries.

•In 2005, Michael Campbell was the last person to come throught the qualifier at Walton Heath, and went on to be crowned US Open Champion at Pinehurst No. 2 as a 200-1 outsider.

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Matt Wallace spoke about his time in the England Golf Elite squad to current members – and his years struggling on the Alps Tour before winning three European Tour events

EUROPEAN Tour stars Matt Wallace and Matt Fitzpatrick have gone back to their roots to encourage, inspire and advise the next generation of English golfers.

The former England Golf graduates took part in separate online Q&A sessions with current players, coaches and staff and captivated their audiences with tales on their careers and anecdotes from life on tour.

Ex-Hertfordshire Men’s and Colts player Wallace expressed his hopes that his unconventional route to the top can inspire England Golf’s current performance squads.

Speaking from his base in Florida, World No. 43 Wallace relived his amateur days, his trials and tribulations grinding away on the Alps Tour and then his breakthrough with victory at the Portuguese Open in 2017.

Among the many questions posed were some from players such as Farnham’s England Girls international Lottie Woad, who was also a promising footballer on Southampton Ladies’ books.

Current Portuguese Amateur Champion Harry Goddard – who also plays for Hertfordshire, Wiltshire’s Scottish Amateur Strokeplay winner Jake Bolton and Yorkshire’s Ben Schmidt, the youngest-ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy at 16, nearly a year ago, also fired off questions.

Fitzpatrick – a five-time winner on the European Tour and a member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team – was keen to stress how important it is for players to take nothing for granted.

They need to realise that hard work can be the key to success said the 2012 winner of the Selborne Salver, a competition won 12 months earlier at Hampshire’s Blackmoor GC, by Ryder Cup team-mate Andy Sullivan.

Matt Fitzpatrick talking to England Golf squad members in the online Q&A

Matt’s unconventional rise to top

WALLACE explained just why he was happy to meet the request of England performance director Nigel Edwards to speak to the rising stars of the English game.

“I feel it’s important for the players to realise there can be more than one way to reach the top,” said Wallace from the renowned Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound.

“I was in the England Golf set-up, but kind of on the fringes of it and always pushing for attention.

“The year prior to my involvement with England, the squad was amazing.

‘Then a number of guys turned pro at the same time – Tom Lewis, Andy Sullivan and Steven Brown included – and I came in from nowhere to the elite squad.

“I maybe didn’t feel as if I’d earned my stripes and didn’t back myself as a golfer as much as I should.

“But I gave it everything, was proud to be in the set-up and enjoyed good experiences in places such as Argentina and the Czech Republic.

“When I didn’t get picked for and England v France match and knew that my chances of Walker Cup were slim, I decided to turn pro.

“I was then grinding away on the Alps Tour for four years with people saying you can’t be that good if you are four years on the Alps Tour.”

Hallamshire GC’s Matt Fitzpatrick on his way to victory in the Selborne Salver in 2012. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

US Amateur win sealed Walker Cup place

FITZPATRICK enjoyed a terrific amateur career – the highlight being when he won the US Amateur Championship in 2013, just 12 months after being crowned British Boys Champion.

Victory at Boston’s Brookline Country Club – with his brother Alex on the bag – meant the Hallamshire GC member was picked for the GB&I Walker Cup team that lost heavily at Long Island’s National Golf Links of America later that month.

Alex also ended up on the losing side against the USA at Hoylake, in September.

Both brothers took up golf scholarships in America.

But Matt cut short his stay at Chicago’s NorthWestern University – where NCAA champion Luke Donald had spent four years from 1997-2001 – after just one term.

He turned pro after appearing in the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 as the reigning US Amateur Champion.

Matt had also won the Silver Medal as the top amateur at the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield.

Twelve months earlier he had been a member of the England Boys team.

The 25-year-old – currently No. 25 in the world rankings – admitted: “It was great to be a part of the England Golf set-up as an amateur, and I wanted to be able to give a little back in terms of advice.

“I worked with some great coaches – Steve Robinson, Graham Walker and John Jacobs among them – and the structure and focus of the England Golf sessions were great for me.

Fitzpatrick tells England’s best ‘play smart’

Matt Fitzpatrick won the Selborne Salver in 2012. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURE

“I remember my first session at Woodhall Spa when Graham told us all we were to be up for a run at 7am the next morning.

“But I liked that discipline and planning that went into every aspect of our coaching.

“The message I wanted to get across to the squads was that golf isn’t easy.

“And to remember that while you can compete at national level, there are kids in Spain, Sweden and all over the world working just as hard to make the top.”

Fitzpatrick’s “play smart” approach to golf was a theme of his session, while his thoroughness in preparation from practice round technique, physical conditioning – through to on course strategy – was strongly evident.

During a detailed and insightful interactive session, Fitzpatrick fielded plenty of questions.

England Girls’ squad member Rosie Belsham, Cornwall’s Women’s Amateur Champion Emily Toy quizzed the Sheffield star, who won his maiden pro event at Woburn, in the 2015 British Masters.

And another Selborne winner – Sussex’s Charlie Strickland – Fulford’s Charlie Thornton and Jack Brooks, from Cheshire, who was runner-up in last year’s Lytham Trophy, also posed questions.

Matt Wallace at the Hampshire Hog in 2012 – the England Elite squad member turned pro a year later but then spent several years struggling before his career took off in 2018. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

From Elite squad for four years struggling on Alps Tour

DURING his frank Q&A session, Wallace spoke with real honesty about the memory he had of one day sitting on the couch at his parents’ home – and reflecting on where his career was heading at the age of 24.

His friends had good jobs and houses and he was living at his parents “winning 50p on the Alps Tour.”

Having asked himself if he still wanted this sort of life aged 27, Wallace set about changing into a player “who would stop at nothing” to reach the top.

Wallace went on to win six times on the Alps Tour in 2016, including a remarkable five victories in a row.

That earned promotion to the European Challenge Tour – his breakthrough win came in the Portugal Open in May 2017, followed by three European Tour victories in 2018.

His Made in Denmark win in front of European captain Thomas Bjørn was not quite enough to gatecrash the 2018 Ryder Cup.

But it was one hell of a ride from those days of struggling on mini-tours.

Matt, who started as a junior at Batchworth Park, in Rickmansworth, said: “My dad always encouraged me to act like a sponge with information – knowing that at any time you could squeeze out things that you didn’t like or which weren’t appropriate.

“It was great to do this Q&A and I hope some of the things I said were of use to the England players.”

Wallace, who grew up in Pinner, claimed the Peter Benka Trophy at the South East Qualifier at Stoneham GC, in 2010.

He then headed to Jacksonville State University where he played for the Gamecocks – the same Alabama college where Danny Willett had spent two years on a golf scholarship before winning the English Amateur in 2007.

In 2018, he returned to Moor Park, where he was also a member and held a clinic for juniors at the Rickmansworth club’s First Degree Golf Academy.

•Tommy Fleetwood, Chris Wood, Danny Willett, Bronte Law and Meg McLaren are lined up among a host of professionals ready to pass on knowledge to England’s class of 2020, as they continue to learn during a restricted period of lockdown.

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