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U.S. Open qualifiers: Cam Davis ends Adam Scott's major streak as Joaquin Niemann, Zach Johnson stumble

The Field for the U.S. Open is now set.

“Golf’s Longest Day” was held on Monday, when 687 players competed for the final 44 available spots in the field at this year’s U.S. Open. The final 10 of the USGA’s 13 qualifiers were played on Monday, and plenty of regular PGA Tour and LIV Golf faces were among those competing for a place in the third major championship of the season.

Though anyone can make it into the U.S. Open field, these qualifiers are especially important for LIV Golf members — as their tournaments don’t qualify for world rankings points. That’s made it increasingly difficult for golfers to earn spots in non-PGA Tour events, especially if they don’t have an automatic way in already.

The 44 golfers who earned spots today joined 23 others who earned spots at three earlier qualifiers, which were held in Japan, England and Texas. In total, 10,052 golfers attempted to qualify.

The U.S. Open is set for Pinehurst in North Carolina. It will kick off on June 13.

Cam Davis ends Adam Scott's major streak

Adam Scott’s major championship run is over.

After making an incredible 91 straight major championships, Scott fell in a playoff to Cam Davis in the Springfield, Ohio, qualifier on Monday night. Scott will now miss his first major championship since he missed the U.S. Open in 2001.

Scott gave it a good run on Monday, and he chipped-in for birdie on the first playoff hole. But Davis birdied right away, and then stuck his approach right by the cup on the third hole to seal his win and earn the final spot.

Scott, who has won 14 times on the PGA Tour, has struggled in recent years. His last win came in 2020 at the Genesis Invitational. He’s ranked No. 60 in the world, but he missed the cut at the PGA Championship last month. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open last year too in Los Angeles.

Davis has won once on the PGA Tour at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021. He played in his first U.S. Open last year, but he missed the cut.

Joaquín Niemann is probably the biggest non-PGA Tour name who failed to earn a spot in the U.S. Open field on Monday. Niemann was playing at The Bear’s Club in Florida, where Matt Kuchar won the event. Niemann finished at 2-under on the day, which was just a shot off from making the playoff.

Niemann won twice on the PGA Tour before he made the jump to LIV Golf. He’s the captain of the Torque team, which is currently in fourth in the season standings, and he’s currently first in the season-long individual standings with a more than 30-point lead over Jon Rahm. Niemann, however, is currently ranked No. 95 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Since he didn’t earn a spot a different way, and he failed to make the cut on Monday, Niemann will miss out on the U.S. Open.

Zach Johnson, who was the U.S. Ryder Cup captain in Rome last fall, failed to qualify in Ohio on Monday. He posted a 2-under on the day, which was five shots out from the cut. Johnson, a 12-time Tour winner and two-time major winner, hasn’t won since 2015. He’s missed the cut five times on Tour this season, including last week at the RBC Canadian Open.

Other notable golfers who missed out include Stewart Cink, Charley Hoffman, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel, Luke Donald and Jason Dufner.

Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed already failed to qualify

Though Monday was the longest day in golf, it wasn’t the only opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Open.

A few notable names already missed out on qualifying last month, including both Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia. Both golfers missed the mark at the Dallas Athletic Club qualifier on May 20.

Garcia just barely missed out. He was named the first alternate out of the region after losing a seven-for-six playoff. He can still make it into the U.S. Open if someone withdraws. Reed withdrew from the qualifier before it began, which will end his impressive run at major championships. Reed has competed at every major since the 2014 Masters. Since he withdrew from the event, he’s not allowed to try and compete at a different qualifier.

Joel Dahmen, Kevin Streelman, Henrik Norlander, Cam Champ, Brendan Steele and Ryan Moore also didn’t qualify in Dallas. Francesco Molinari was one of the 11 who did qualify from that region.

This post will be updated with more information shortly

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