Three Tennesseans are headed to Oakmont for the 125th U.S. Open Championship
OAKMONT, Pa. — Three Tennesseans are headed to the biggest test of their golf skills in their career: the U.S. Open. From June 12-15, they will compete amongst the PGA TOUR’s stars for a chance to hoist the U.S. Open Championship Trophy.
Here are the local players to keep an eye on in a few weeks:
Lance Simpson (a)
Knoxville, Tenn.
The 2022 Tennessee State Amateur Champion is coming off a Top 40 finish at the NCAA Championships. Before that, he was one of two Tennessee amateurs to qualify for the U.S. Open on May 19th. In his redshirt junior season at the University of Tennessee, the Knoxville native had three Top 5 finishes and a 6th-place finish at the NCAA Amherst Regional, which helped propel the Volunteers to their second straight NCAA Championship appearance. All of his work this year has him ranked 40th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
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Cameron Tankersley (a)
Dickson, Tenn.
The former No.1 overall recruit in the state of Tennessee, Tankersley, in his junior season at Ole Miss led the Rebels to their first No.1 national ranking and NCAA Tournament seed in program history. His 7 Top-10 finishes helped propel Ole Miss to a semifinal appearance at NCAA Championships this year. Hoisting the trophy at the Wigwam Golf Club in The Patriot All-America Invitational Amateur event in Dec. 2024 and setting a career-low 54 hole score (-8, 202) in Knoxville; Cameron looks to continue his hot streak in Oakmont and represent the Volunteer State as he sits ranked 35th overall in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
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Harrison Ott
Franklin, Tenn.
The Vanderbilt product secured his spot in the 125th U.S. Open in Columbus, Ohio, fulfilling a dream of his since he began playing competitively at 12 years old. A native of Wisconsin before taking up residence in Franklin, Tennessee, after graduating from Vanderbilt, Ott won back-to-back titles at the 2020 and 2021 Wisconsin State Opens. Ott was an All-America Scholar in college before turning pro in 2022. His attention now turns to Oakmont Country Club as he gets set to compete in his first major championship.