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Long day, minimal strokes: Lanto Griffin, Jonas Blixt medal in U.S. Open sectionals

garry smits, florida times-union
·7 min read
Lanto Griffin, playing in last year's RSM Classic at Sea Island, Ga., shot 62 in the second round of a U.S. Open sectional on Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
Lanto Griffin, playing in last year's RSM Classic at Sea Island, Ga., shot 62 in the second round of a U.S. Open sectional on Monday in Columbus, Ohio.

Lanto Griffin and Jonas Blixt of Ponte Vedra Beach figured out a way to conserve energy during their respective 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional qualifiers on Monday: don't hit many shots.

On what is billed as "Golf's Longest Day," both got hot in their second rounds to not only assure themselves of qualifying for the Open next week at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., but finish atop the leaderboards.

Griffin tied Chan Kim for first in the Columbus, Ohio, sectional at 12-under 131 and Blixt won the Ontario, Canada, sectional at 10-under 132. They combined for 15 birdies and one eagle in their late rounds.

Griffin will play in his fourth U.S. Open and made the cut in the last two. Blixt will make his second start and his first since 2014.

Jonas Blixt will play in his first U.S. Open since 2014 after winning a sectional qualifier in Canada on June 6.
Jonas Blixt will play in his first U.S. Open since 2014 after winning a sectional qualifier in Canada on June 6.

By the end of the day, 871 golfers competed in 11 sectionals, for 65 spots. Nine of the sectionals were in the U.S., one in Canada and another in Japan.

The Japan and Dallas sectionals were played on May 23.

There were 9,265 entries for this year’s Open, the 10th year in a row in which the number topped 9,000 and the sixth-highest in history. Players who attempted to qualify at the local level represented 80 countries and all 50 states, including 282 from Massachusetts.

• At Kinsale and Wedgewood Country Clubs, Columbus, Ohio: Griffin blistered Wedgewood for a second-round 62 and tied Chan Kim for medalist at 12-under 131. Griffin had a nine-hole stretch in which he shot 7-under, with an eagle, six birdies and a bogey and had 12 birdies and the eagle for the day. Kim shot 62 in the morning at Wedgewood and Davis Riley, who finished third at 11-under, had a 63 at Wedgewood in the afternoon.

David Lingmerth of Ponte Vedra played his last six holes at Wedgewood at 1-over and then lost to Hayden Buckley in a five-for-one playoff for the final qualifying spot. Lingmerth sewed up the first alternate.

Major champions Lucas Glover and Jason Dufner led a list of 14 past PGA Tour winners who either failed to qualify or withdrew after one round. Also coming up short were J.T. Poston of St. Simons Island, Cameron Champ, Ryan Palmer and Tyler Duncan.

UNF sophomore Nick Gabrelcik tied for 27th at 2-under and Andrew Farraye of St. Augustine shot 77 at Kinsale in the afternoon after a 68 in the morning at Wedgewood.

• At Rattlesnake Point Golf Club, Ontario, Canada: Blixt blistered the back nine in the second with a 5-under 31 and won the sectional at 10-under 132. Callum Tarren of England and Satoshi Kodaira of Japan locked up the final two shots at 9-under.

• At The Club at Admiral's Cove, Jupiter: Sean Jacklin, the son of past U.S. Open champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Tony Jacklin, tied North Carolina Tar Heel player Ryan Gerard for medalist at 5-under 137. Florida Gator player Fred Biondi had a bogey-free 67 in the second round to clinch the last qualifying spot. Rickie Fowler shot 67 in the second round but failed to qualify by one shot but he survived a playoff for first alternate on Tuesday. Tom Lewis of England is the second alternate.

Sean Jacklin (right) will play in the U.S. Open this year, a tournament won by his father Tony (left) won in 1970.
Sean Jacklin (right) will play in the U.S. Open this year, a tournament won by his father Tony (left) won in 1970.

• At Ansley Golf Club, Roswell, Ga.: Former Florida State player Chase Seiffert of Panama City Beach tied Harry Hall of England for medalist at 7-under 137. PGA Tour winner Patton Kizzire of St. Simons Island, is the first alternate. Tour veterans Brendon Todd, Blayne Barber and Ted Potter Jr., failed to qualify.

• At Lakewood and Royal Oaks Country Clubs, Dallas: In a sectional loaded with PGA Tour players, the foursome that tied for medalist at 11-under 131 is relatively unknown: Kurt Kitiyama, Matthew NeSmith, Jinchiro Kozuma and Sean Crocker. Andrew Novak of St. Simons Island, Ga., finished fifth, one shot behind. The only past PGA Tour winners to qualify were two Canadians, Mackenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor. Failing to qualify was another Canadian PGA Tour winner, Adam Hadwin, plus Austin Cook, Graeme McDowell, Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini and Matt Kuchar.

• At Century Oaks Country Club and Old Oaks Country Club, Purchase N.Y.: Fran Quinn, a 57-year-old who has gotten only two starts on PGA Tour Champions this year, with less than $7,000 in earnings, survived an eight-for-three playoff to qualify for the open after shooting a pair of 69s. Quinn is a native of Worcester, Mass., 41 miles from The Country Club.

Fran Quinn, 57, qualified for the U.S. Open, which will be played just 41 miles from his birthplace of Worcester, Mass.
Fran Quinn, 57, qualified for the U.S. Open, which will be played just 41 miles from his birthplace of Worcester, Mass.

• At Woodmont Country Club, Rockville, Md.: Joseph Bramlett opened with a 66 and earned medalist by two shots over Grayson Murray at 8-under 136. Past PGA Tour winner Kevin Chappell and Andrew Beckler, the NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award winner last year while at Washburn College, tied at 3-under for the next two qualifying spots.

• At Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio: Korn Ferry Tour member M.J. Daffue of South Africa and PGA Tour member Brian Stuard tied for medalist at 7-under 133. Other Tour members to qualify were Beau Hossler, Troy Merritt and Bo Hoag. Falling short were two-time RSM Classic winner Robert Streb, Scott Piercy, Brandt Snedeker and Sam Ryder of Atlantic Beach.

• At the Olympic Club, San Francisco: Amateur William Mouw, a member of Pepperdine's 2021 national championship team, romped to medalist honors with a closing 63 and a 36-hole total of 12-under 130 to beat another amateur Charles Reiter of San Diego, by five shots.

• At Pronghorn Resort, Bend Ore.: Brady Calkins, a mini-tour legend who is a three-time Dakotas Tour player of the year, tied for medalist with former Stanford player Isaiah Salinda at 8-under 136.

• At Caledonian Country Club, Chiba, Japan: Tomoyasu Sugiyama birdied four of his last five holes and five of his last seven to rocket up the leaderboard with a 66 and win the sectional at 9-under 135.

PGA TOUR

Event: RBC Canadian Open, Thursday-Sunday, St. George’s Golf and Country Club, Toronto.

At stake: $8.7 million purse ($1,566,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner).

Defending champion: Rory McIlroy.

TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.); CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).

Area players entered: Jonas Blixt, Jonathan Byrd, Matt Every, David Lingmerth, Keith Mitchell, Trey Mullinax, J.T. Poston, Greyson Sigg, Cameron Smith, Jared Wolfe.

Notable: The tournament returns to the schedule for the first time since 2019, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Canada. McIlroy had the lowest final round of his career with a 61 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club to beat Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson by seven shots. … Joining McIlroy will be world No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, PGA champion Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed and Tony Finau. … The U.S. Open is next week at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

LPGA TOUR

Event: ShopRite LPGA Classic, Friday-Sunday, Seaview Golf Club, Bay Course, Galloway, N.J.

At stake: $1.75 million purse ($262,500 to the winner).

Defending champion: Celine Boutier.

TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 12-2:30 p.m.; Saturday, 3-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-1 p.m.); CBS (Sunday, 1-3 p.m.).

Area players entered: Chella Choi, Mel Reid.

Notable: Boutier shot 63 in the final round to beat Brooke Henderson and Jin Young Ko by one shot.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Event: American Family Insurance Championship, Friday-Sunday, University Ridge Golf Club, Madison, Wis.

At stake: $2.4 million purse ($360,000 to the winner).

Defending champion: Jerry Kelly.

TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8-10 p.m.; Sunday, 3-5 p.m.).

Area players entered: David Duval, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh.

Notable: Kelly, who won last week’s Principal Charity Classic in a playoff over Kirk Triplett, had a closing 66 to defeat Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jimenez by one shot.

KORN FERRY TOUR

Event: BMW Charity Pro-Am, The Thornblade Club, Greer, S.C.

At stake: $750,000 purse ($135,000 to the winner).

Defending champion: Mito Pereira.

TV: Golf Channel (Thursday, 12-2 p.m.; Friday, 8:30-10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10-12 p.m.; Sunday, 8-10 p.m.).

Area players entered: Chris Baker, Blayne Barber, Chandler Blanchet, A.J. Crouch, Taylor Dickson, Phillip Knowles, Davis Thompson.

Notable: Pereira fired a 64 in the final round and beat Justin Lower by four shots.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Lanto Griffin, Jonas Blixt ride hot streaks to medal in U.S. Open sectionals