Graduating seniors Dickson, Norton, as well as PGA Tour pros attempting to qualify Monday
U.S. Open Final Qualifying
THE FLATS – Eight Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, including five touring pros, two recent graduates and one incoming transfer, are set to compete in final qualifying tournaments Monday for the 121st U.S. Open Championship, which will be played June 17-20 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif.
Final qualifying, which are 36-hole events, will take place Monday at nine different sites around the United States to fill out the 156-player field. Already in the field are Stewart Cink, a two-time winner this year on the PGA Tour, Matt Kuchar, who is in as one of the top 60 players in the official World Golf Ranking, and Tyler Strafaci, who won the 2020 U.S. Amateur.
Will Dickson and Noah Norton, both of whom graduated from the Institute on May 5 and made it through local qualifying events on May 5, are in the 72-player field at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta along with incoming transfer Ross Steelman, PGA Tour pro Vincent Whaley and Korn Ferry Tour pro Ollie Schniederjans.
Also attempting to qualify are PGA Tour pros Chesson Hadley (at Hilton Head, S.C.), Cameron Tringale (at Columbus, Ohio) and Richy Werenski (at Springfield, Ohio). Tringale and Werenski are competing this weekend in The Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
YELLOW JACKETS IN FINAL QUALIFYING
Will Dickson (Graduating Senior, Providence, R.I.) – Qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. Made it through a local qualifier in Orlando, Fla., on May 5. Qualified for the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur in 2016. Had three top-20 finishes to his credit this spring after seeing action in just two events over his first three years at Tech. Tied for 41st at the ACC Championship, and was fifth on the team in stroke average (73.85 over 20 rounds). Finished finishing 13th or higher in all four amateur events he played, including a fourth-place effort in the Orlando International Amateur in December. Golfstat ranking was 319, Golfweek/Sagarin 318. Graduated May 8 with a degree in business administration.
Chesson Hadley (33, of Raleigh, N.C.) – Qualifying in Hilton Head, S.C. Has played in three U.S. Opens and his best finish was a tie for third in 2019 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Hadley earned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2014, when he won the Puerto Rico Open. He was also the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year. Hadley was a three-time All-American at Georgia Tech.
Noah Norton (Graduating Senior, Chico, Calif.) – Qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. Two-time All-ACC honoree who made it through local qualifier on May 5. Remaining an amateur with intent to qualify for U.S. Amateur later this summer. Qualified for 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Calif. Played in the U.S. Amateur four times, reach match play in 2017, 2019, 2020. Advanced to match play (round of 32) at the U.S. Amateur last summer and earned his way into two Korn Ferry Tour events, tying for eighth place at the Wichita Open. Won the 2019 Patriot All-America Amateur in Arizona. Tied for 31st at the ACC Championship, 28th at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. 44th at the NCAA Championship. Ranked No. 48 in the PGA Tour University ranking, No. 78 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and No. 101 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. Graduated May 8 with a degree in business administration.
Ollie Schniederjans (27, Alpharetta, Ga.) – Qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta … Has played in three U.S. Opens. He tied for 42nd in the 2015 at Chambers Bay. Schniederjans, who has won on the Korn Ferry Tour, was a three-time All-American and two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year at Georgia Tech. In 2014, he won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world’s top-ranked amateur.
Ross Steelman (Sophomore, Columbia, Mo.) – Qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. A second-team All-SEC selection as a sophomore this spring at Missouri. Tied for third place overall, competing as an individual at the 2021 NCAA Noblesville Regional. Steelman closed with a 66 and finished with a 7-under-par total of 209, three shots off the lead. He was Golfstat’s 28th-ranked player in the nation, and No. 31 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index. He stands No. 223 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and No. 127 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, and was medalist at his U.S. Open local qualifier on May 10, in Kansas City.
Cameron Tringale (33, of Laguna Niguel, Calif.) – Qualifying in Columbus, Ohio … Has played in two U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for 54th in 2015 at Chambers Bay. Tringale competes on the PGA Tour and has four top-10 finishes in 2020-21. He was a member of the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team and a three-time All-America selection at Georgia Tech. He earned his PGA Tour card through qualifying school in 2010 and 2011.
Richy Werenski (29, of West Palm Beach, Fla.) - Qualifying in Springfield, Ohio … Has played in two U.S. Opens. He qualified for Winged Foot last year after winning on the PGA Tour for the first time. He totaled 39 points to capture the Barracuda Championship, which included a five-point eagle on the par-4 16th when he sank a flop shot from the fairway. Werenski, who played at Georgia Tech, competed in four U.S. Amateurs.
Vincent Whaley (26, Fayetteville, Ga.) - Qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta … Four-year starter at Georgia Tech (2014-17) with two collegiate tournament victories … Turned pro in 2017 and is in his second season on the PGA Tour, currently No. 121 in the FedEx Cup points standings … Made 20 cuts with five top-25 finishes in 34 career events.
