The United States Golf Association’s 126th Open championship will be played June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Five local players have hopes to be part of the final field after taking the first step Tuesday at the USGA local open qualifier at The Club at Nevillewood.
Glengarry pro Talon Kriebel and Amani D’Ambrosio, a Fox Chapel grad, each shot a 3-under-par 69 to grab medalist honors.
The other three to qualify were Austin Lemieux, a Sewickley native and son of Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, who shot a 2-under 70, and Carnegie Mellon graduate and Sewickley Academy grad Jason Li and 58-year-old Rick Stimmel, who each shot 1-under 71.
Li and Stimmel beat out alternates Ryan Sam and Nathan Piatt in a playoff.
Stimmel played in the Open at Pebble Beach in 2000.
The five golfers advanced to the final qualifier set for June 8.
GCC grad qualifies for West Penn Amateur
Greensburg Central Catholic graduate and John Carroll sophomore Wade Boyle won a qualifying event for the West Penn Amateur on Wednesday.
Boyle shot a 2-under 70 at the West Penn Golf Association Amateur qualifier at the Latrobe Elks Golf Club.
Boyle had five birdies (Nos. 3, 9, 12, 13 and 14) during his round.
Sam Wotus finished second at 1-under while Greensburg’s Brian Fajt and Greensburg’s Matt Rebitch finished at 1-over.
There were 13 golfers who qualified for the WPGA Amateur Championship on June 8-9 at The Kahkwa Club in Erie.
Those who also qualified were Brendan Shaughnessy, Jack Oberdorf, Austin Goehring and Payton Guelich at 3-over; Owen Dzurko at 4-over; David Brown at 5-over; Kurtis Shaw and Nick Zaller at 6-over; and Matt Montgomery at 7-over.
There are two more qualifiers: May 7 at Willowbrook Country Club and May 14 at Lawrence Park in Erie.