IBARAKI, Japan (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama had rounds of 67 and 65 on Monday to earn one of five spots in a U.S. Open qualifier in Japan.
Matsuyama was a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur and twice made the cut at the Masters as a teenager. This will be his first U.S. Open, which is to be played June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia.
The other four qualifiers were Jung-Gon Hwang of South Korea, Yui Ueda, Yoshinobu Tsukada and Hiroyuki Fujita. Tsukada and Fujita earned the last two spots in a playoff on the West Course at Ohtone Country Club.
Matsuyama was No. 1 in the world amateur ranking when he turned pro in April. He already has two wins on the Japan Golf Tour, one as an amateur.
