Three Alums Vie For US Open Title This Weekend
9/15/2020 11:09:00 AM | Men's Golf
KENT, OHIO- Golden Flashes fans will have plenty to cheer about as three Kent State alums have officially qualified for the 120th U.S. Open to be held September 17-20 at Wingfoot Country Club in New York.
Corey Conners ('14), Mackenzie Hughes ('12) and Taylor Pendrith ('14) all punched their ticket to the U.S. Open based off their exemplary play.
Conners earned his ticket after he played his way into the 2019 Tour Championship. The 2014 grad currently sits 53rd on the Fed Ex Cup points list and has a trio of top-20 finishes on the PGA tour this season.
Hughes earned his spot with his sixth-place finish at the 2020 Memorial Tournament. The 2012 alum is playing some of the best golf of his career, shooting 67-66 in the final two rounds of the 2020 Tour Championship to jump 14 spots to 14th overall. He has three top-10 finishes this year and ranks 14th on the Fed Ex Cup point list, the highest mark ever for a Kent State alum.
Pendrith currently sits fourth in total points on the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA's developmental circuit. The top-five golfers in Korn Ferry Tour points earn an automatic entrance into the U.S. Open. Pendrith officially secured his spot in the top-five at the Portland Open in August and has a trio of runner-up finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.
In addition to competing against each other on the course, all three are battling to be the two golfers to represent Canada in the next Summer Olympics. Hughes currently ranks 57th, Conners 70th and Pendrith 160th with the top two Canadians in the world rankings earning an Olympic berth. The Kent State alums represent three of five Canadians in the world top-200.
The trio were part of the 2012 Kent State squad that won the MAC Championships by 40 strokes. They continued their stellar play at the 2012 NCAA Championships with a program-best fifth-place finish. Together they helped Kent State win five consecutive MAC Championships from 2010-14. Additionally, each golfer won a MAC Championship as an individual with Hughes winning in 2011, Conners in 2012 and again in 2014 and Pendrith capturing the 2013 title.
This will be the sixth time that Winged Foot Country Club has hosted the U.S. Open and the first time since 2006. Coverage of the event starts on Thursday, September 17th. Thursday and Friday's early-round coverage will be on the Golf Channel with NBC picking up the broadcast each afternoon. Weekend coverage will be on NBC starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
