3 golfers with Auburn, UAB ties advance to final U.S. Open qualifying

[aubiefifty 16,791]

3 golfers with Auburn, UAB ties advance to final U.S. Open qualifying

Published: May. 05, 2023, 1:41 p.m.

Michael Johnson, shown in 2016 while playing at Auburn, finished first in local qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Open on Thursday at Silver Lakes in Glencoe. (Dakota Sumpter/Auburn Athletics)

By

Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

Former Auburn golfer Michael Johnson, ex-UAB golfer Sam Love and current Auburn golfer Reed Lotter were among four who advanced to final qualifying for the 123rd U.S. Open on Thursday.

In local qualifying at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Silver Lakes in Glencoe, Johnson shot 5-under 67 to tie for first with Scott Stephens of Chattanooga, Tenn. Lotter — an Auburn freshman from Savannah, Ga., playing as an amateur — was one stroke back at 4-under-68, while Love shot 3-under 69 to take the last of four qualifying spots.

Johnson, Stephens, Lotter and Love now advance to final U.S. Open qualifying, which takes place later this month and in early June. There are several sites for final qualifying, with participants allowed to rank them in order of preference.

Johnson, a Birmingham native who played his high school golf at Spain Park, was a first-team All-American and Ben Hogan Award finalist at Auburn in 2016. He currently plays on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Love, from Trussville, has played on both the Korn Ferry and MacKenzie Tours in the past. He played in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, but failed to make the cut.

The 123rd U.S. Open takes place June 15-18 at the Los Angeles Country Club.

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[icanthearyou 4,462]

47 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

Silver Lakes

The best of the RTJ courses (both of them), IMHO.