CGA Alums Qualify for 116th U.S. Open

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (June 13, 2016) -- Three CGA alums advanced through qualifying to make the field for the 116th U.S. Open Championship to be played at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. from June 16-19.

Former Hilton Head Island standout, D.J. Trahan used a second-round 62 at the sectional qualifier in Memphis, Tenn. to share medalist honors with Andres Gonzales. Trahan, 35, is a two-time Tour winner whose most recent victory came at the 2008 CareerBuilder Challenge. He has one top-10 in eight starts this season. He has made three U.S. Open appearances, including a fourth-place finish in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Zach Edmondson, 25, of Cary, N.C., was the first alternate from the Jacksonville, Fla., sectional. He will play in his first U.S. Open. Edmondson played as a collegian at East Carolina University and competes on PGA Tour Canada’s Mackenzie Tour.

Another former East Carolina letterman and former men’s golf assistant coach Frank Adams III of Salisbury, N.C. qualified at the sectional qualifier in Roswell, Ga. following a two-round day that saw him finish third with a 7-under par. The 37-year-old Adams is currently playing on the GPro Tour and is the leading money winner this year. Adams was a four-year letterman at ECU from 1998-02 and then spent two years as an assistant before turning pro. The U.S. Open marks the first major of Adam’s career. His only other PGA event was the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.

Three-time CGA champion William McGirt earned an exemption based on the current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). McGirt, who is No. 45 in the OWGR, is playing in his first U.S. Open. The 36-year-old from Boiling Springs, S.C., won the Memorial Tournament on June 5 when he defeated Jon Curran on the second playoff hole. McGirt has three other top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, advanced to match play at the 2003 U.S. Amateur, held at Oakmont Country Club. McGirt won the 2003 Carolinas Four-Ball with Greg Powell, then captured the North Carolina Amateur a few months later. The following year, McGirt and Powell defended their Carolinas Four-Ball title before McGirt turned professional.

                                       

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 43 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 140 One-Day (net and gross) events and qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed more than $1,500,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.    

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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