To be sure, earning a spot in golf’s national championship is no easy proposition. There is a plethora of qualifying criteria players need to meet to play in a U.S. Open, such as winning tournaments or moving up the Official World Golf Ranking. Those still finding themselves on the outside looking in must rely on the gauntlet that is U.S. Open Final Qualifying … a.k.a. “Golf’s Longest Day.”

On that day in 2021, several household names punched their tickets to Torrey Pines and this week’s 121st U.S. Open, while others weren’t so lucky. Among the big names who tried, but came up short at the U.S. Open Final Qualifying — Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker and Lucas Glover, among others.

However, at Torrey Pines this week, there will be 11 U.S. Open competitors who have battled during the past month on McConnell Golf venues, either during the Korn Ferry Tour’s Visit Knoxville Open (May 13-16) at Holston Hills Country Club or the REX Hospital Open (June 3-6) at The Country Club of Wakefield Plantation.

Greyson Sigg, a 26-year-old University of Georgia product, who opened with a 61 and fired a final-round 66 to claim his first professional win at Holston Hills, will be teeing it up at Torrey Pines on Thursday and Friday (and hopefully during the weekend) after qualifying in Atlanta, Georgia. Sigg competed at both McConnell Golf venues this summer, as did fellow Atlanta qualifiers Hayden Buckley and Rick Lamb.

In addition to the other eight qualifiers from various courses around the country, former McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship recipient Akshay Bhatia, 19, continued to prove he’s a real deal “touring professional” by securing his spot at this week’s U.S. Open after a 3-for-1 playoff at the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina sectional qualifier.

(Phil) Mickelson recently played a practice round with Bhatia, who was born a few months before the veteran recorded his second runner-up finish in the U.S. Open in 2002, although it’s unclear whose brain was being picked. “He has as many questions for me as I have for him,” said Mickelson. “I’m curious how he does things too because he’s got a lot of clubhead speed, a lot of strength, a lot of shot making. He might ask me a few things on chipping. I might ask him a few things on clubs."

For McConnell Golf members, here are some lesser-known names to cheer for this week:

Dallas, Texas

  • Eric Cole (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
  • Paul Barjon (REX Hospital Open)

Jupiter, Florida

  • Fabian Gomez (REX Hospital Open)

Atlanta, Georgia

  • Hayden Buckley (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
  • Greyson Sigg (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open) – *won at Holston Hills CC
  • Rick Lamb (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)

Rockville, Maryland

  • Taylor Pendrith (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
  • Dylan Wu (REX Hospital Open)

Purchase, New York

  • Cameron Young (REX Hospital Open)
  • Andy Pope (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
  • Zach Zaback (Visit Knoxville Open)