You won't find Tom Lehman or Tim Herron at this year's U.S. Open. The days of those Minnesotans playing in - and contending (Lehman tied for second in 1996; Lumpy was sixth in 1999) - at golf's second major are long gone.
Sammy Schmitz, the local healthcare rep who qualified for the Masters as a feel-good story in April, isn't around either. Same for Spring Lake Park grad Troy Merritt, Wayzata's Cameron White, local teaching pros Jon Reigstad and Aaron McClay and former Gophers Eric Van Rooyen and Justin Smith.
They all advanced to the section qualifying stage for the U.S. Open but fell just short of making the big show.
Yet that doesn't mean you can't find a player with local ties to latch onto this week as a sentimental favorite among the 156 players in the field.
Dig deep enough - deeper than, say, the rough at Oakmont - and there's a sprinkling of Minnesota set to battle for a major championship.
Tom Hoge
Who is he: Ranked No. 238 in the world but has a pair of top 10 finishes this season on the PGA Tour.
Why you should be in his corner: The Fargo native won back-to-back Minnesota state amateur championships in 2009 and 2010.
