GOLF: Andrew Putnam wins 9-hole playoff for final US Open spot from Oregon

PGA Tour veteran Andrew Putnam endured an extended “Golf’s Longest Day” before finally securing his place in the U.S. Open.

After completing 36 holes at Emerald Valley Golf Club during U.S. Open final qualifying on Monday, Putnam and Spencer Tibbits remained deadlocked for second place on the leaderboard. With only two qualifying spots available in Oregon, the tie forced a 2-for-1 playoff.

The two players went an additional six holes late Monday without breaking the stalemate. They returned to the course on Tuesday morning, where Putnam ultimately prevailed on the ninth playoff hole to clinch his spot in the championship field.

The 37-year-old from Tacoma, Washington, will now compete in his second major championship of the year after missing all four majors in 2025. He tied for 55th at last month’s PGA Championship. Putnam last played in the U.S. Open in 2023, where he finished tied for 43rd. His lone PGA Tour victory came at the 2018 Barracuda Championship.

Greyson Leach earned medalist honors at Emerald Valley with a 4-under-par total of 140 over 36 holes. Putnam and Tibbits finished tied at 3-under 141, with Tibbits fading after opening with a 66 and closing with a 75.

Emerald Valley was one of 10 final qualifying sites across the United States and Canada held Monday. Other qualifiers took place in Toronto, near this week’s RBC Canadian Open, as well as at two sites in Ohio, one in California, and several courses along the U.S. East Coast.

The U.S. Open will be held June 18–21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

Players who qualified Monday:

Ball Ground, Georgia: Chris Kirk, Jake Peacock, Keith Mitchell, Robbie Higgins, Chase Kyes (a)

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida: Giuseppe Puebla (a), Ben Silverman, Ryder Cowan (a), Miles Russell (a)

Purchase, New York: Kevin Roy, Max Greyserman, Benjamin James (a), James Nicholas

Gastonia, North Carolina: Jackson Ormond (a), Carl Yuan, Jackson Van Paris, Brandon Wu, Cole Hammer

Rockville, Maryland: Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, Logan Reilly (a), Jake Sollon

Springfield, Ohio: Neal Shipley, Zac Blair, Dylan Wu, Billy Horschel, Nick Hardy

Westerville, Ohio: Davis Thompson, J.B. Holmes, Vaughn Harber (a), Arni Sveinsson (a)

Toronto, Canada: Emiliano Grillo, Alejandro Tosti, Marcelo Rozo, William Mouw, John Parry, Max McGreevy

Sacramento, California: Taylor Montgomery, Eric Lee (a), Matthew Robles (a), Marek Fleming (a)

Creswell, Oregon: Greyson Leach, Andrew Putnam

— Field Level Media / Reuters