Braden Thornberry, one of the best golfers in Ole Miss history, qualified for the U.S. Open this past Monday.
After shooting 66 at Ridgeway Country Club and 68 at Colonial Country Club, Thornberry totaled an overall 9-under par (-9) in the U.S. Open Qualifier to tie for fourth. This score earned the Ole Miss Rebel the opportunity to play in the U.S. Open, one of golf’s most challenging tour events.
Thornberry is coming off yet another impressive year at Ole Miss. He earned four victories this year, making his total victory count 11, a new school record. Thornberry was also a finalist for many of the awards given to the best collegiate golfers in the US, including the Ben Hogan Award, the Fred Haskins Award, and the Jack Nicklaus Award. He also earned first-team All-SEC honors for the second season in a row.
This summer, the No. 2 amateur in the world, Thornberry, will be busy participating in many major tournaments, some on the PGA tour. Most recently, Thornberry placed 26th in the FedEx St. Jude Classic (June 7-10) at TPC Southwind in Memphis and finished -4 at the end of the weekend. He will leave Memphis to head to New York for the 118th U.S. Open.
Following the U.S. Open, Thornberry earned the chance to represent the US in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup. Much like the Ryder Cup, The Arnold Cup is contested between a United States team and an International team representing the rest of the world, but for collegiate players. Many of professional golf’s best players have competed in this tournament in the past, which makes this yet another major accomplishment for Thornberry.
Thornberry is facing one of the toughest courses for the 2018 U.S. Open. Shinnecock Hills will be one of the most demanding venues the pros face all season. The challenging thing about Shinnecock Hills is how it is structured, making it almost impossible to read where the wind is coming from and how it will change throughout your round.
This will be Thornberry’s first appearance in one of the four majors on the PGA tour.
Opening round pairings have been announced, and Thornberry is set to play with Jason Dufner and Brandt Snedecker. Thornberry will tee off on Thursday, June 14, at 1:09pm CST.
