BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s golf program has been well-represented in the PGA Tour’s major championships in recent years, and the 2008 U.S. Open will be no different as former Tiger Scott Sterling qualified Monday at the sectional qualifier in Cordova, Tenn.
Sterling was one of 14 qualifiers from the qualifier in Cordova after firing a 6-under 66 at the par-72 Colonial Country Club followed by a 1-under 70 at the par-71 Chickasaw Country Club.
His 36-hole score of 7-under 136 tied for 10th place in the 89-man field as he will now compete against the best players in the game at the 108th U.S. Open Championship to be held at the Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego, Calif., from June 12-15.
The U.S. Open is the nation’s most prestigious golf championship sponsored by the United States Golf Association and is open to any amateur or professional with an up-to-date USGA handicap index not exceeding 1.4. A player may participate in the field of 156 by being fully exempt or by successfully advancing through the local qualifying and sectional qualifying rounds.
A total of 84 players earned the right to compete at this year’s U.S. Open Championship at one of 15 sectional qualifying sites across the globe.
Sterling is competing as a member of the PGA Tour in 2008 by virtue of finishing in the Top 25 of the money list on the Nationwide Tour a year ago. He finished the 2007 season ranked No. 21 on the final money list with a total of $216,324 in earnings on the season.
He is one of three former Tigers who are full-time members of the PGA Tour in 2008 as he joins former LSU standouts and Tour veterans David Toms and Brian Bateman. Sterling will be joined by Toms in the field at the 2008 U.S. Open as Toms earned exempt status based on his career-best fifth-place finish in the event at historic Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.