Kanaya and Yu Winging Their Way to US Open

Liberty Corner, New Jersey, United States: Japan’s Takumi Kanaya and Chinese Taipei’s Yu Chun-an have earned entry into September’s 120th US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club.

For Kanaya it will be his maiden appearance in the US Open. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2018 and was the runner-up last year.

The 22-year-old, who currently tops the standings in The R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), also tied for third in last December’s Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Yu, a fifth-year senior at Arizona State University, will be playing in his third consecutive US Open.

Third in the WAGR, the 22-year-old was a quarter-finalist in the 2017 US Amateur.

To be staged over the West Course at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York from September 17-20, the 144-player field for the US Open will be entirely comprised of exempt players due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United States Golf Association confirmed that Kanaya and Yu are among seven amateurs to have secured exemptions based on the WAGR as of August 19.

Joining the Asian duo will be Americans Ricky Castillo (second in the WAGR), Davis Thompson (fourth), John Park (seventh), Spaniard Eduard Rousaud (sixth) and Scotsman Sandy Scott (sixth).

With the addition of these players, 13 amateurs are currently in the 2020 US Open field.

Andy Ogletree and John Augenstein earned exemptions as last year’s US Amateur champion and runner-up, respectively, at Pinehurst No 2. In 2019, Preston Summerhays (US Junior Amateur) and Lukas Michel (US Mid-Amateur) won USGA championships. Cole Hammer was last year’s Mark H. McCormack Medal recipient as the world’s top-ranked amateur, while James Sugrue won the 2019 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A.