The Longest Day of Golf...outside company outings

“Golf’s Longest Day” took place yesterday. No, we're not referencing our company retreat that consisted of 9 holes stretched over 5 hours due to the overconsumption of PBR tallboys. And possibly an edible.

Are spillchekcer  sitll hasent' retarned to werk.

Also not to be confused with D-Day (June 6th), the actual “Longest Day”

156 players in the US Open field:

• 76 players exempt from qualifying (17 different categories)
• About half the field must try to qualify

This is not your typical Monday Qualifying experience the week of the tournament. Oh no, charge your phone, pack some Lunchables, and pee before you leave cause this is the gauntlet of golf.

Local Qualifying (April-May, over 100 sites, 18 holes):

• 8680 entrants; one requirement -> 1.4 handicap (or better)
• Whittled down to 500 players for Sectional Qualifying (only 5.7% continue!)

Harry Higgs winning Mr. Universe would get better odds than any of us surviving this gauntlet. You've seen Harry, right?

Sectional Qualifying (11 sites, 36 holes, 1 day):

• 500 local qualifiers + 345 others exempt from Local Qualifying
• Fields have PGA Tour players, high-pedigreed amateurs, etc
• Qualifiers round out the remainder of the field (~10% qualify)

A Roy McAvoy qualifying out of the driving range is as likely as Phil Mickelson drinking boxed wine from the Wanamaker Trophy.

Only two players have won after surviving Local/Sectional Qualifying; Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville “Sarge” Moody (1969), fittingly, a US Army veteran. Although the real event starts in less than two weeks, the survivors of this war will surely be battle-tested.

There are some who have been preparing for this the entire year and then there is JT Poston and his caddie, who’ve prepared with Uncrustables and jerky as per the text exchange (pictured above).