Graeme McDowell will make his first US Open appearance since 2020 after an excellent second round in Final Qualifying at Dallas Athletic Club propelled him into the field for Shinnecock Hills next month.
McDowell carded back to back rounds of 69 for a four-under total which gave him two shots to spare with nine places on offer for the year’s third major.
Also among the notable names to qualify are former DP World Tour winner Peter Uihlein, Tom Kim, Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Caleb Surratt.
McDowell, a 2010 US Open champion whose exemption ran out in 2020 and he hasn’t appeared in any major since, was outside the qualifying mark on two-under after a first round 69 that included a double bogey six on the fifth.
However, he tore through the field rising 26 places into a share of 5th by the end of the day after another 69.
McDowell has been in good form on the LIV Tour this season with finishes of 14th in Adelaide, 8th in Hong Kong and 18th in Virginia among the highlights while he also hit a hole in one in back to back weeks.
The 46-year-old Portrush man was back in the news last week when he admitted some regret over his initial comments on joining the Saudi backed tour in 2022.
“I regret a few things I said in the beginning, stuff like growing the game,” the Antrim man told SI.com.
“I was ready to jump ship and go get a real job. I should have just said it for what it was ‘this is good for my bank account’, and I’m getting a runway to play the game of golf for as long as I possibly can.
“I don’t think we could have ever imagined how deep this would go. The hatred.”
McDowell will join 2011 US Open champion Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington in next month’s US Open field.
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