Michael Block misses US Open as three LIV golfers book their place

Michael Block narrowly missed out on qualifying for the US Open, after a five-under-par total left him two shots adrift.

The club pro, who made a name for himself with a sensational performance at the PGA Championship, was among hundreds of players looking to book their place at Los Angeles Country Club on Monday through final qualifying.

His scores of 69 and 66 were enough for a five-under-par total at the Lambton Golf and Country Club site in Ontario, but that was two shots behind third placed Ryan Armour, who sealed his berth alongside Vincent Norrman and Ryan Gerard.

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Block’s son, 18-year-old Dylan, was also aiming to book his place at the US Open, but missed out after recording a total of ten-over-par at the Los Angeles qualifying site.

Across the ten qualifying sites, 45 golfers booked their spot in the third men’s major of the year, and they included three players from the LIV Golf League.

All three players, incidentally, currently play on Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC.

Sebastian Munoz qualified at Woodmont CC, Rockville, Maryland, via a play-off, after carding a two-round total of three-under-par.

Carlos Ortiz also booked his place for Los Angeles Country Club via a play-off at Pine Tree Golf Club, Boynton Beach, Florida.

Spaniard David Puig successfully navigated golf’s longest day at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles, where he finished on a total of ten-under-par.

They join Sergio Garcia as the other LIV player who progressed through final qualifying, after the Spaniard made it through at Dallas, Texas back in May.

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Although the three Torque GC members will be heading to Los Angeles, several of their fellow LIV players weren’t so fortunate.

Harold Varner III missed out at the North Carolina site, despite finishing on eight-under-par, while the likes of Marc Leishman and Brendan Steele also fell short.

Other notable names to qualify for the US Open

Barclay Brown

The English amateur who made a name for himself at last year’s 150th Open came through the Hillcrest qualifier at Los Angeles and will be playing his second major championship.

Charley Hoffman

The PGA Tour player came through the same qualifier as Brown and will be looking to improve on his best finish of eighth in the US Open, which he achieved back in 2017.

Gordon Sargent

The amateur competed at this year’s Masters and made an impression with his incredible ball speed. He didn’t fare his best at Augusta National, but he’ll be looking to rectify that in Los Angeles.

Michael Thorbjornsen

The 21-year-old amateur will be making his third appearance at a US Open. The Stanford player has experience on the PGA Tour and won his qualifier in New Jersey.

Stewart Cink

The former Champion Golfer of the Year was among a cohort of big names who qualified from Ohio. Luke List, Patrick Rodgers and Kevin Streelman were among the 11 who also booked their place here.

Taylor Pendrith

The Presidents Cup team member was in Springfield, Ohio, where he finished on ten-under-par to book his place in Los Angeles.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor