May 17, 2011
Vanderbilt freshman golfer Mills Rendell shot an even-par 71 on Monday at Oak Grove Golf Course in Harvard, Ill., to advance out of local qualifying for the 2011 U.S. Open Championship.
Rendell, a resident of Winnetka, Ill., carded the second-lowest score out of a field of 78 entrants to earn a spot at the 36-hole sectional qualifier taking place on June 6th at St. Charles Country Club in St. Charles, Ill.
“I started off pretty well,” Rendell said of his round. “I had a shaky first drive, but I made a good par on the first hole and then kind of got settled in after that. I didn’t really make too many big numbers, which was good. I think I had four birdies and four bogeys – overall, it was a pretty solid round. The course was playing really tough. It was a long course, and it was really windy out. I’m really happy with myself.”
Only a handful of golfers from a field of approximately 40 entrants will qualify for the U.S. Open out of the sectional tournament in St. Charles. Rendell was one of three amateurs among the six players who earned qualifying spots out of Oak Grove.
The St. Charles tournament is one of the 13 sectional qualifiers that fill out the Open’s 156-player field. The 2011 U.S. Open will be held from June 16-19 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.