Reese wraps up US Open sectional qualifying

Reese wraps up US Open sectional qualifying

MEMPHIS - Carson-Newman men's golfer Dalton Reese (Warrenton, Ga.) closed up shop on the "Longest Day of Golf" at 10-over through 36 holes at Memphis' Germantown Country Club, Monday.  

Reese was tied for 91st in the event.  D.J. Trahan and Andres Gonzales won the event at 11-under.  They, as well as eight others, earned qualifying spots at the US Open at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. 

He is believed to be the first active Carson-Newman men's golfer to advance to the sectional qualifying stage of the US Open (if anyone knows of a Carson-Newman golfer who has made it to this stage previously while still an active member of the roster, please notify Carson-Newman sports information). 

Often called "Golf's Longest Day," sectional qualifiers are played over 36 holes in one day.   For the nearly 600 players who advance through local qualifying and the hundreds of others who are exempt, this is the second and final stage for U.S. Open hopefuls. 

Spots are determined by the quantity and quality of the field. In most years, sectional qualifying produces nearly half of the 156-player field. Lucas Glover, the 2009 champion at Bethpage Black, remains the most recent sectional qualifier to win the U.S. Open.  Orville Moody (1969) is the most recent golfer to win the U.S. Open by enduring both stages of qualifying.

Reese was a first team All-SAC selection this past season.   He won the Tennessee River Ramble in April with a two-round score of one-over 145. Shot a career-low seven-under 65 during the final round of the State Farm Intercollegiate, which tied for the best round by a C-N player during the year