To keep U.S. Open truly open, it’s time to limit exemptions

LOS ANGELES — Olin Browne Jr. had to make a 30-foot putt on his 18^th hole just to make a playoff to advance to Final Stage of U.S. Open Qualifying. He survived and then was the medalist last Monday at the Columbus, Ohio, site to book his first berth in a major at age 34. What makes him keep signing up to attempt to qualify year after year?

“It’s really fun to have the opportunity to come play the biggest tournament in American golf,” said Browne Jr., whose father, Olin Sr., won the U.S. Senior Open and played in 12 U.S. Opens during his career. “I think this is the Super Bowl of golf. It’s awesome, and it’s awesome that they allow people like me the opportunity to play two qualifiers to get here.”

Anyone who thinks the qualifying process is a hopeless quest should talk to Steve Jones, who survived his own playoff in his Columbus sectional en route to winning the 1996 U.S. Open.

Browne Jr. was one of a record 10,189 entries to fork over $200 — somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million in revenue — to try to earn a spot into the 156-man field at the 123^rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course. Do the math and that’s more than 9,500 players that had to play both stages of qualifying, of which 20 made it through both qualifying stages, the most since 2018.

The odds are about the same as winning the lottery. Ron Read, a former USGA executive and the longtime first tee starter, calls making it through the two stages of qualifying “the impossible dream.” Yet every year the dreamers keep dreaming, such as Berry Henson, a 43-year-old journeyman who has played on no less than 12 different tours around the world and side hustles as an Uber driver to make ends meet. He qualified for his first U.S. Open this week. He’s one of the dollar-and-a-dream stories trying to be the Open’s version of club pro Michael Block at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill last month. But seemingly every year, the number of spots open to the dreamers dwindles.

“Winners of the U.S. Open in the last 10 years” is the first of 24 categories of exempt players. Twenty-four! In all a record 89 players — closing in on 60 percent of the field — are exempt and 47 only played final qualifying.

Should more than half of the U.S. Open field be exempt? I say no. Exempt status should follow the old Marine Corps slogan: the few, the proud. Bobby Jones in 1924 was the first defending champion to get a free pass. Qualifying is a cherished part of…