LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (May 9, 2019) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that it has accepted 2,796 entries for the 40th U.S. Senior Open Championship, scheduled for June 27-30, 2019 at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. Twelve past champions are among the 79 players who are currently fully exempt into the championship.

David Toms, the 2018 champion, and 11 other Senior Open champions are fully exempt from having to qualify for the championship. They are: Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Roger Chapman (2012), Fred Funk (2009), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Peter Jacobsen (2004), Bernhard Langer (2010), Jeff Maggert (2015), Colin Montgomerie (2014), Kenny Perry (2013, 2017), and Gene Sauers (2016).

“The worldwide interest in the U.S. Senior Open, considered senior golf’s most prestigious championship, continues to remain at a high level and the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame will provide a strong test for a competitive field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director for Championships. “The USGA is excited to bring the U.S. Senior Open to the Michiana region and we look forward to awarding the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy to the champion.”

The U.S. Senior Open is open to professional golfers, and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4 who are 50 years of age at the start of championship play.

Sectional qualifying will be played over 18 holes at 34 sites across the United States between May 13 and June 10. There are qualifying sites in 26 states, including five in California, three in Florida and two in Georgia and Texas. In addition, places in the 156-player field are reserved for eligible winners of official PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions events in the weeks remaining before the 2019 U.S. Senior Open.

The USGA accepted entries from golfers in 48 states, including 56 from Indiana, and the District of Columbia, as well as 32 foreign countries. More than 2,700 entries have been filed in five of the last seven years. The record for entries was established in 2002, when 3,101 golfers applied to play.

In addition, there are seven U.S. Open champions among the 79 exempt players. They are: three-time champion Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990), two-time champion Lee Janzen (1993, 1998), two-time champion Retief Goosen (2001, 2004), Michael Campbell (2005), Tom Kite (1992), Corey Pavin (1995) and Tom Watson (1982). There are also eight U.S. Open runners-up entered. They are: Miguel Angel Jimenez (2000), Tom Lehman (1996), Davis Love III (1996), Rocco Mediate (2008), Montgomerie (1994, 1997, 2006), Loren Roberts (1994), Jeff Sluman (1992) and Watson (1983, 1987).

Dave Antill, a 52-year-old amateur from Dublin, Ohio, submitted his entry three seconds before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on May 8. Mick Soli, a 65-year-old professional from San Carlos, Calif., was the first entrant on Feb. 20.

Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame will be the first collegiate course to host a U.S. Senior Open. This will be the 19th USGA championship held on a college-affiliated layout and the 2019 U.S. Senior Open will be the 22nd USGA championship contested in Indiana.

More information about the U.S. Senior Open before, during and after the 2019 championship at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame can be found at ussenioropen.com.

The list of the 79 golfers who are fully exempt into the 2019 U.S. Senior Open (as of May 8):

Stephen Ames

Billy Andrade

Magnus Atlevi

Woody Austin

Paul Broadhurst

Olin Browne

Bart Bryant

Brad Bryant

Mark Calcavecchia

Michael Campbell

Roger Chapman

Darren Clarke

John Cook

Fred Couples

Marco Dawson

Glen Day

Clark Dennis

Chris DiMarco

Stephen Dodd

Scott Dunlap

Joe Durant

Bob Estes

Steve Flesch

Peter Fowler

Fred Funk

Retief Goosen

Paul Goydos

Jay Haas

Scott Hoch

Kohki Idoki

Hale Irwin

Peter Jacobsen

Lee Janzen

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Brandt Jobe

Kent Jones

Jerry Kelly

Jong-Duck Kim

Tom Kite

a-Sean Knapp

Bernhard Langer

Paul Lawrie

Tom Lehman

Davis Love III

Jeff Maggert

Prayad Marksaeng

Billy Mayfair

Scott McCarron

a-Michael McCoy

Rocco Mediate

Gregory Meyer

Shaun Micheel

Colin Montgomerie

Mark O’Meara

Gary Orr

Scott Parel

Corey Pavin

Tom Pernice Jr.

Kenny Perry

Tim Petrovic

Philip Price

Jean-Francois Remesy

Loren Roberts

Gene Sauers

Wes Short Jr.

Vijay Singh

Jeff Sluman

Paul Streeter

Steve Stricker

Kevin Sutherland

Toru Suzuki

Ken Tanigawa

David Toms

Kirk Triplett

Scott Verplank

Duffy Waldorf

Tom Watson

Chris Williams

a-Jeff Wilson

Bold – U.S. Senior Open champion       a-amateur

About the USGA
The USGA celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment and amateur status rules. Our operating jurisdiction for these governance functions is the United States, its territories and Mexico. The USGA Handicap System is utilized in more than 40 countries and our Course Rating System covers 95 percent of the world’s golf courses, enabling all golfers to play on an equitable basis. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.