IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's golf alum John Chin '10 has qualified for the 2024 U.S. Open.
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On Monday, June 3, Chin birdied two of the last three holes to secure one of the four qualifying spots from Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California. He finished with a 36-hole score of 10-under 134 (65-69) to tie for a third in a field of 84 players.
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The U.S. Open will be held at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2) in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, June 13-16. It will be Chin's first major championship.
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"I'm just really happy right now," Chin said in an interview with Golf Channel after punching his ticket to the U.S. Open. "I spent a couple years playing Korn Ferry Tour, played one year on the PGA Tour and then I don't know, just fell out. I didn't have a love for the game as much as I used to. The last couple years have been kind of a grind just to try to get back to playing form and I guess this year has been a lot better, started to see some good signs. I'm just super excited and happy I qualified."
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Chin had the most decorated career of any Anteater men's golfer in the program's Division I era (since 1977-78). As a senior in 2010, he ranked first in the final Golfstat Cup, leading the nation with a 70.05 scoring average. He became UCI's first NCAA Division I All-American, was selected to the All-Nicklaus Team and was a member of the U.S. Palmer Cup team.
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At the conference level, he was a three-time Big West Golfer of the Year (2008-10) and two-time medalist at the Big West Championships. He led the 'Eaters to three team titles, four-straight NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the 2008 NCAA Championships. He was also named the 2007 Big West Freshman of the Year and was a four-time first-team all-conference selection.
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Chin earned his PGA Tour membership card for the 2018-19 season after finishing 10th on the Web.com Tour money list. He was inducted into the UCI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
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