Two-time US Open champion Ernie Els has received a special exemption to the 118th US Open Championship to be played at Shinnecock Hills.
Jim Furyk was also honoured with an exemption for the Major set to start on 14 June.
Els, now 48, won the 1994 US Open at Oakmont and the 1997 US Open at Congressional. Furyk, 47, won his US Open title at Olympia Fields. The exemption will allow Els to compete in his 26th consecutive US Open, while Furyk will make his 24th Open start and his 23rd in a row.
‘It’s a thrill and I’m very grateful to the USGA,’ said Els, who is one of 18 players to win multiple US Opens and was the first international player to accomplish the feat since Alex Smith in 1910.
‘Obviously, the US Open means a lot to me. This is kind of where it all started, you might say. Winning at Oakmont at the age of 24 [and] as I’ve said before it was almost like a shock the way it happened. I still thought I had some steps to climb to get there. Then 1997 was just a very, very special week, winning in the nation’s capital, and that set me up for a really great year. For me, there are so many wonderful memories of US Opens and it’s exciting to be able to keep that story going.’
In 1994 at Oakmont, Els defeated Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in a playoff after the three players tied with a 5-under-par 279 after 72 holes. Els won the playoff on the 20th hole with a par after Roberts found a greenside bunker on the par-4 11th, leading to a bogey. Montgomerie was eliminated after shooting 78 after 18 holes while Els and Roberts both shot 74. Els became the youngest US Open winner since Jerry Pate in 1976.
Els survived a four-way battle to win his second US Open in 1997, finishing with five consecutive pars for a 72-hole score of a 4-under 276. Montgomerie was one stroke behind while third-round leader Tom Lehman was two back and Jeff Maggert finished five strokes off the pace. All four were tied for the lead with nine holes to play on Congressional’s Blue Course. Els’ 5-iron approach to within 18 feet on the par-4 17th helped separate him from the group.
Furyk was three strokes better than Stephen Leaney, of Australia, in his 2003 victory. He finished at 8-under 272, which tied the US Open scoring record that has since been broken by Rory McIlroy (2011). Furyk opened with rounds of 67-66-67 to establish the 54-hole scoring mark (also eclipsed by McIlroy in 2011) and entered the final round leading by three strokes.
‘As a past US Open champion, I am grateful to the USGA to accept a special exemption into the US Open Championship, where the quality of the course and how it’s set up pushes me to step up my physical and mental game,’ Furyk said. ‘Getting to play in another US Open at a historic course like Shinnecock Hills really gets my competitive spirit flowing. I’ve had great success on my many trips to the US Open and winning one is a highlight of my career.’
In addition to their victories, Els and Furyk own exemplary US Open records. Els, who was the runner-up to Tiger Woods in 2000 and was third in 2010, owns 10 top-10 finishes. Furyk is a three-time runner-up (2006, 2007, 2016) and has been among the top five finishers seven times.
Els and Furyk are the first players to receive special exemptions into the US Open since Retief Goosen earned one in 2016.
Prior to Goosen, Tom Watson and Vijay Singh were awarded exemptions in 2010 at Pebble Beach. Goosen missed the 36-hole cut at Oakmont, while Watson and Singh tied for 29th and 40th, respectively, in 2010.
Hale Irwin is the lone player to win the US Open playing on a special exemption, doing so in a memorable 19-hole playoff against Mike Donald in 1990 at Medinah to claim his third US Open title.
