Among the big names who had not already qualified for next week’s U.S. Open, none were bigger than Steve Stricker.

 
The 50-year-old, who now divides his limited time between the PGA and the Champions Tour, has not hid his desire to play Erin Hills, which is being held in his home state of Wisconsin. He recently attempted to receive a special exemption, a request which was denied by the USGA.

Stricker responded by winning the U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Memphis.

Bullets

• Top Spot: Wisconsin native Steve Sticker qualified to play in his 20^thS. Open by winning the sectional qualifier in Memphis on Monday.
• 10-Under: Memphis had nine spots open for 108 competitors, with Stricker’s -10 the best score.
• Majorless: Stricker has never won a major, and his best finish at the U.S. Open was a fifth place in both 1998 and 1999. He also finished T6 in 2006 at Winged Foot.
• Part-timer: Stricker has played in his eight PGA Tour events this season, with a high finish of T7 two weeks ago at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational. His final round 63 was the low round of the week.
• Late Fade: At last week’s Memorial Tournament, Stricker played well through three rounds, but faded on Sunday with a six-over 78 to finish T40.
• Withdraw: With spot secured, Stricker has withdrawn from the FedEx St. Jude Classic where he finished T2 last year.

On Twitter

Way to go u old stud @stevestricker. All your friends @ChampionsTour wish you the best of luck. See u soon @amfamchamp https://t.co/re82TIpY2E

— Billy Andrade (@BillyTAndrade) June 6, 2017

Big congrats to our 2-time Vice Captain and 3-time team member @stevestricker on qualifying for the @usopengolf this year! Awesome! #GoUSA pic.twitter.com/u9UXPq3mJO

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) June 6, 2017

Congrats @stevestricker on qualifying for the #USOpen! We can’t wait to watch you compete in your home state of Wisconsin. #DreamFearlessly pic.twitter.com/sNn0UmIpPW

— American Family (@amfam) June 6, 2017

Thank you everyone for all the tweets I received today after qualifying for @usopengolf! Stoked to be playing in my backyard. #erinhills

— Steve Stricker (@stevestricker) June 6, 2017

Quotable

“It was a good day. It means a lot. It’s been at the forefront of my thinking for a while now. It’s kind of a relief know I got in on my own terms. I went through qualifying. I’d rather have it that way. I’m glad I did it this way.”
–Steve Stricker

Content originally appeared as part of the Daily Rundown.