A week after the tip top level of the men’s amusement part into two, the world’s best golfers rejoin exterior Boston for the year’s third major championship. Ahead of the U.S. Open at The Nation Club, we positioned the best 100 players within the field—PGA Visit folks, LIV folks, Korn Ship folks, DP World Visit folks, novices and everyone in between—to assist you win bets, fill out your DFS program or basically be a more educated watcher. Upbeat perusing, and cheerful major week.
100: Stewart Hagestad (a)
Age: 31 World Ranking: N/A U.S. Open appearances: 3
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2018, 2019, 2020
The world’s best mid-amateur won the U.S. Mid Amateur—funny how that happens—for the second time last summer at Sankaty Head Golf Club on Nantucket. This will mark his fourth U.S. Open, as he qualified his way into both the 2018 and 2019 editions.
99: Guido Migliozzi
Age: 25 World Ranking: 169 U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: T-4, 2021
Delighted fans with his extremely Italian name and his strong play last year at Torrey Pines, where he finished T-4. Has missed the cut in nine of 14 starts on the DP World Tour this year.
98: Michael Thorbjornsen (a)
Age: 20 World Ranking: N/A U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: 79, 2019
Earned second-team All-American honors during his sophomore year at Stanford. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it is—he qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open by winning the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur and made the cut at Pebble Beach. Grew up in Wellesley, Mass., roughly 10 miles from Brookline. Got into the field via the final qualifying in New York.
97: Kalle Samooja
Age: 34 World Ranking: 134 U.S. Open appearances: First
Missed three cuts in a row before shooting a course-record 64 to win his first DP World Tour title at the Porsche European Open last month. That was the last tournament he played, and we have a long-standing policy that anyone who wins their last event before a major gets a spot in the highly prestigious Top 100.
96: Brandon Matthews
Age: 27 World Ranking: 285 U.S. Open appearances: First
Easy guy to root for—you might remember him as the player who lost a playoff in a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event a few years back after a fan with Down’s Syndrome yelled during a putt. He handled it as well as one possibly can and received an invite into the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his kindness. He’s also one of the longest players in professional golf—he played two consecutive events without a driver because, and I kid you not, he simply hits it too far—and you’ll almost certainly see him on the PGA Tour next year after he won on the KFT in April. Got through an eight-for-three playoff in his Final Qualifying spot to get into his first major.
95: Chan Kim
Age: 32 World Ranking: 107 U.S. Open appearances: 4
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2019, 2020, 2021
Born in South Korea, grew up in Hawaii, went to Arizona State and plays most of his golf in Japan (where he has seven tour wins). Shot 83 in the final round of the Memorial then, golf being golf, shot 62 in the opening round of his Final Qualifying site to breeze into his fourth consecutive U.S. Open start. The prior three have ended on Friday afternoon.
94: Shaun Norris
Age: 40 World Ranking: 68 U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2020
Been the dominant force on the Sunshine Tour, based in his native South Africa, which explains the World Ranking and his appearing in nine majors since 2017. Played with Tiger Woods on Saturday of the PGA Championship, right before Woods withdrew, and finished middle of the pack in last week’s LIV event. Smokes like a chimney.
93: Brian Stuard
Age: 39 World Ranking: 263 U.S. Open appearances: 6
Best U.S. Open finish: T-65, 2019
The man loves himself some Springfield Country Club. He’s now made it through Final Qualifying there seven times, though he’s made the cut in the U.S. Open only once.
92: Troy Merritt
Age: 36 World Ranking: 98 U.S. Open appearances: 3
Best U.S. Open finish: 58, 2020
Steady if unexplosive player has made nine consecutive cuts coming into this week but has yet to finish in the top 40 in 11 career major championship starts.
91: Sam Bennett (a)
Age: 22 World Ranking: N/A U.S. Open appearances: First
Texas A&M star breezed through qualifying in a field full of PGA Tour pros at the Columbus site. He’s the real deal, and he’s coming back to College Station for a fifth year—an especially interesting choice given he was second in the PGA Tour U standings, which would have resulted in full Korn Ferry status. Finished the year as Golfstat’s fourth-ranked college player.
90: Hayden Buckley
Age: 26 World Ranking: 250 U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2021
For this Mizzou grad, golf’s longest day became golf’s longest two days, as he had to come back Tuesday morning to win a playoff for the last qualifying spot from the Columbus site.
Age: 22 World Ranking: N/A U.S. Open appearances: First
Was the best player in college golf this past season, starring on an Oklahoma team he transferred to for a fifth season that made it to match play at the NCAAs. He then played his way through the New York Final Qualifying site and made his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open, where he missed the cut. His tomahawk-like steep swing produces very long and very high shots. Took T-7 at the Puerto Rico Open this year—granted, not a strong field, but a top-10 in a PGA Tour event for a college kid still pops off the page.
88: Keita Nakajima (a)
Age: 22 World Ranking: 238 U.S. Open appearances: First
The world’s top ranked amateur has had significant success already on the Japan Tour—that’s how he’s inside the top 250 of the World Ranking before he ever turns professional. Made the cut in his first two PGA Tour starts of the year, a T-28 at the Zozo Championship and a T-41 at the Sony Open—but missed the weekend at the Masters.
87: Adam Schenk
Age: 30 World Ranking: 172 U.S. Open appearances: First
Purdue grad has three top-10s on the PGA Tour this season and got through the Columbus qualifying site to earn his first crack at a U.S. Open. Played his first major at the PGA Championship and made the cut. It has been a fun spring for him.
86: Wyndham Clark
Age: 28 World Ranking: 293 U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2021
Certainly doesn’t swing it like the 293rd best player in the world, and when he’s on—as he was at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, where he held the 36-hole lead—he can overpower courses with his length. Ranks fourth on tour in driving distance.
85: Thorbjorn Olesen
Age: 32 World Ranking: 182 U.S. Open appearances: 3
Best U.S. Open finish: CUT, 2019
Played on the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2018 before his career was upended by an incident on an airplane that resulted in him being charged with sexual assault. (He was eventually cleared of all charges by a court in London). Ensured his return to major championship golf after a three-year hiatus in spectacular fashion, holing a 30-foot birdie putt then a 35-foot eagle putt on his last two holes to win the British Masters by a shot.
84: Sebastian Soderberg
Age: 31 World Ranking: 195 U.S. Open appearances: 1
Best U.S. Open finish: MC, 2016
Posted two top-fives on the DP World Tour to grab one of the 10 spots as part of the European Qualifying Series. This will be just the second major-championship start of his career, the first a missed cut at Oakmont five years ago.