The U.S. Open’s 36-hole final-stage qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, always draws a sparkling list of hopefuls. That’s because it’s held annually in the wake of the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament , which is played in Dublin, just 20 miles north. This year’s field, which convened on Monday at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, included such PGA Tour luminaries as Eric Cole, Rickie Fowler , Max Homa and Cameron Young, all of whom, in a happy coincidence, landed in a five-for-one playoff for the last of six available qualifying spots; securing the fifth playoff spot, in the role of David (vs. Goliaths), was 29-year-old pro Chase Johnson, who played his college golf at nearby Kent State. For USGA qualifiers, this was about as high wattage a moment as they come.

The playoff could and probably s

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