A pair of Kentucky men’s golf alumni will compete in the 126th U.S. Open this week as Jack Schoenberger and J.B. Holmes earned spots in the field through qualifying at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.
According to UK Athletics, the tournament runs from June 18-21, with 156 players competing. Schoenberger, who recently completed his senior season at Kentucky, is making his first-ever appearance in a major championship, while Holmes is returning to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2019.
Schoenberger navigated both local and final qualifying to secure his invitation. The Alpharetta, Georgia native shot a 7-under 63 at the local qualifier at Canongate-on-White Oak in Newnan, Georgia, tying for medalist honors. He then advanced through final qualifying at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ohio with rounds of 69 and 65, tying for sixth place at 10-under par. Schoenberger won a playoff for a first-alternate spot and received word Sunday night that he had been added to the field as one of five alternates selected.
Holmes, a Campbellsville native, earned his spot through final qualifying at Lakes Golf & Country Club in Westerville, Ohio, posting a 9-under par 36-hole total with rounds of 70 and 65. He finished tied for second at the site and secured one of four available spots. The five-time PGA Tour winner is making his 10th appearance in the U.S. Open and will mark his 36th career start in a major championship. His best U.S. Open finish came in 2017 at Erin Hills when he tied for 12th.
During his two seasons with the Wildcats, Schoenberger made 23 starts with a 72.17 scoring average. He recorded 33 rounds at par-or-better, competed in two NCAA Regional Championships, and compiled 10 top-20 finishes and six top-10s. He served as team captain during a season in which Kentucky won two team events for the first time since 2017-18.
Holmes played for Kentucky from 2001-2005, earning three All-SEC First Team selections and All-American honors three times. He was part of the program’s lone SEC Championship in 2005 and finished seventh at the NCAA Championship that year, the highest finish by a Wildcat to date.
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/15/wildcats-jack-schoenberger-and-j-b-holmes-in-field-for-u-s-open/.
