Chambana Sun

Illinois men's golf rising senior Jackson Buchanan and former Fighting Illini Brian Campbell have secured their places in the upcoming U.S. Open. Both athletes advanced through local qualifying last month and succeeded in final qualifying on Monday, joining fellow Illini Thomas Detry in the 156-player field at the 124th edition of the tournament, scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Buchanan, who holds the title of Big Ten Golfer of the Year, tied for first place with three spots available at The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. His performance included an opening round score of 8-under-par 64 followed by a second round score of 67 (-5), concluding with an eagle on No. 18 to finish at 131 (-13).

Campbell, ranked No. 11 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, finished tied for second at Duke University Golf Club in Durham. He posted rounds of 64 (-4) and 71 (+1), ending just one shot behind the medalist with a total score of 135 (-5). This marks Campbell's third appearance in the U.S. Open; he first competed after his junior year as Big Ten Golfer of the Year at Illinois in 2014 but missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2. He returned a year later to finish T27 at Chambers Bay.

Thomas Detry was exempt from qualifying due to his position as No. 52-ranked competitor in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). A former teammate of Campbell's from their time together at Illinois between 2012-2015, Detry is participating for his third time after previously finishing T49 in Winged Foot in 2020 and missing the cut at Torrey Pines in 2021.