Four golfers advance to next month’s U.S. Open sectional qualifier

Hunter Howell arrived for his tee time at TPC Prestancia’s Stadium Course ready to begin the quest to qualifying for the U.S. Open.

Except, Howell didn’t have any playing competitors near him. Both Sarasota’s Robert Jaenicke (no show) and St. Louis’ David Suggs (withdrew) were absent.

So Howell needed to wait an extra 10 minutes to join the next group, which was missing a player after Sarasota’s John Vaccaro pulled out.

“The starter helped calm me down,” Howell said.

Howell wasn’t just calm. The Lipscomb University junior was confident.

He torched the front nine at TPC Prestancia with five birdies, then righted the ship after back-to-back bogeys to begin his inward nine, en route to a 5-under par 67 to become the medalist in Monday’s U.S. Open local qualifier.

“It’s just the process of taking one shot at a time,” Howell said. “Every shot counts as much as the next one.”

Howell was one of four players to earn qualifying berths into June’s sectional qualifier.

Dubbed the “longest day in golf,” the sectional qualifier covers 36 holes on June 5. There are 10 different venues that are hosting sectionals this year.

The lone Florida site is at Tequesta’s Jupiter Hills. Those who make it through sectionals gain entry into the 117th U.S. Open, which is set for June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Hartford, Wis.

Howell, who is from Nashville, said he picked the Memphis sectional for the next round of qualifying in his native Tennessee as his first choice. He opted for Prestancia on Monday because his spring semester was finished at Lipscomb and he could visit his family in nearby Odessa.

“So I just figured I could come see (my parents), and then come play a golf tournament,” Howell said.

Miami’s Ryan Carter and Oxford, Mich., native Nick Hocker carded 69s to advance.

Five players, though, posted 70s to head into a five-for-one sudden death playoff.

Sarasota resident Stephen Arnold, Bradenton’s Tyler Carlson, St. Petersburg’s Blake Dyer, Lakewood Ranch High alumnus Seath Lauer, who played with Howell during the round, and North Port’s Sebastian Mark played the 381-yard, par-4 18th hole for the last qualifying berth in the playoff.

Carlson snagged it with a 25-foot birdie putt after knocking his approach shot from 151-yards into the teeth of the wind with an 8-iron just outside Mark’s second shot.

“I felt like I had to make that to at least kind of stay in it,” said Carlson, who is a home-schooled 18-year-old high school senior.

Carlson, who plays out of The Concession Golf Club and Sara Bay Country Club, competed in the playoff against his teacher, Arnold.

Getting into a playoff wasn’t expected after he finished with a 70.

“I was just happy for my chances right now,” Carlson said.

Older brother Remec, a golfer at Florida Gulf Coast University, was on hand and will get his crack at joining Tyler in the sectional qualifier when he competes in a local qualifier in two weeks.

Both, along with sister Rachel, are golfers who trained at IMG Academy.

Their father, John, moved the family from Los Angeles about seven years ago to Manatee County, and now Tyler is working with Arnold out of the Florida Golf Performance Center at the Suncoast Golf Center near the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

“He’s been great. He’s an awesome guy,” Carlson said.

Mark and Lauer continued for the two alternate spots after they made pars, while Arnold and Dyer bogeyed.

Lauer’s par was especially nifty. He supplied the best tee shot, but his approach shot sailed long right and stopped just on top of the wooden barricade separating the bunker from a watery grave.

Mustering a difficult chip, Lauer jammed it into the hilly bank and could only stop it some 60 feet or so away.

Undeterred, Lauer canned the long-range putt, then defeated Mark with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole, which was also played on No. 18.

Lauer is the first alternate, and Mark is the second alternate.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Four golfers advance to next month’s U.S. Open sectional qualifier."