Virginia Golfer May/June 2024 May/June 2024 | Page 9

Around The Commonwealth whose first came in 1942 . He reported for duty in the U . S . Navy the next day . It was also the start of an impressive threeyear run of Virginia golf at the PGA . Harper won the 1950 PGA , followed by Snead claiming his third and final title with a 7 and 6 rout of Walter Burkemo in 1951 .
It all started on what is now No . 10 at Belmont , a daily reminder of the place the course holds in the heart of Virginia golf history .

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Scottie Scheffler is the early favorite to win the U . S . Open at Pinehurst No . 2 .

News & Notes Compiled by CHRIS LANG U . S . Open heads to Pinehurst

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Snead became the first player to ever win the Masters and PGA Championship in the same calendar year , though the feat was later replicated by Jack Burke Jr . ( 1956 ) and Jack Nicklaus ( 1963 , 1975 ).
In 1998 he was the fourth person to receive the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award .
Watch a short video of action from the 1949 PGA Championship :
The North Carolina resort hosts the national championship for the first time in a decade

Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina has quickly become the epicenter of American golf , thanks to the opening of the USGA ’ s Golf House Pinehurst at the end of 2023 . That isn ’ t the only exciting development to happen in the Old North State . Pinehurst ’ s No . 10 course opened this spring to rave reviews , and most importantly , the U . S . Open Championship is returning to the resort for the first time in a decade .

The U . S . Open will be held June 13-16 , marking the fourth time the championship will take place in what is a second home for many Virginia golfers . If you miss it this time around , you ’ ll have plenty of chances to catch the action in future years . The 2029 , 2035 , 2041 and 2047 U . S . Opens are scheduled for Pinehurst in the future .
It ’ s also about as close to a U . S . Open as many Virginians will get , though northern Virginians will find Opens at Oakmont and Merion in Pennsylvania a touch closer to drive to .
No matter where the event is held , it attracts a crowd , and 2024 is no different . The USGA accepted 10,187 entries for the championship . Fifty-two golfers — including defending champion Wyndham Clark and two-time Masters champ Scottie Scheffler — are fully exempt from qualifying as of April 18 . That number will increase as the championship proper creeps closer , leaving a miniscule number of spots to be earned through two-stage qualifying .
The VSGA held a local qualifier at Keswick Golf Club in mid-May . Most Virginians who advance to final stage qualifying will look to punch their U . S . Open tickets on “ Golf ’ s Longest Day ” on Monday , June 3 at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland . ( Though some elect to try to qualify elsewhere ). In 2023 , Virginians Michael Brennan and Isaac Simmons earned their way to Los Angeles CC through the Woodmont qualifier .
Fans will hope for a more dramatic championship in 2024 than what Pinehurst hosted a decade ago . German Mar-
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