University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Golfer Kyes Withstands Golf’s Longest Day, Qualifies for U.S. Open
June 08, 2026 | Men's Golf
BALL GROUND, Ga. – Shortly after concluding a strong freshman season for Tennessee, Vol golfer Chase Kyes has secured a spot in the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Competing at the Georgia site of U.S. Open Final Qualifying, contested at Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Kyes tied for fourth place among the field of 75 to claim one of five spots in the major championship. The freshman closed Golf's Longest Day, appropriately named due to the grueling 36-hole single-day format, at 11-under-par after rounds of 67 and 66.
A short turnaround awaits ahead of the first major in Kyes' young career. The U.S. Open is set to begin with round one on Thursday, June 18, spanning through Sunday, June 22. The famed Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will play host to the 126th edition of the event, located in Southampton, New York.
"My own expectations are to make it through (to the U.S. Open)," Kyes said after earning his spot. "I'm pretty good at golf and I just have to give myself some putts. If they go in, they go in. I had high hopes for today and it turned out alright."
Competing in 12 tournaments for Tennessee in his debut season on Rocky Top, Kyes posted a 71.58 scoring average while accumulating 20 rounds of par or better. He posted two top-five finishes this spring; a runner-up finish at the Coach Sykes Individual, where he shot 9-under-par, and a tie for fifth place at the Mason Rudolph Championship, leading the Vols at 4-under-par.
Kyes will be one of three Vols or VFLs in the field, joining Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington and VFL Caleb Surratt. Herrington will be competing in his second major, after impressing at the Masters in April, while Surratt will make his first major start. Like Kyes, Surratt qualified through the earlier window of U.S. Open Final Qualifying in May, while Herrington earned his spot through a runner-up finish at the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship last August.
Competing at the Georgia site of U.S. Open Final Qualifying, contested at Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Kyes tied for fourth place among the field of 75 to claim one of five spots in the major championship. The freshman closed Golf's Longest Day, appropriately named due to the grueling 36-hole single-day format, at 11-under-par after rounds of 67 and 66.
A short turnaround awaits ahead of the first major in Kyes' young career. The U.S. Open is set to begin with round one on Thursday, June 18, spanning through Sunday, June 22. The famed Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will play host to the 126th edition of the event, located in Southampton, New York.
"My own expectations are to make it through (to the U.S. Open)," Kyes said after earning his spot. "I'm pretty good at golf and I just have to give myself some putts. If they go in, they go in. I had high hopes for today and it turned out alright."
Competing in 12 tournaments for Tennessee in his debut season on Rocky Top, Kyes posted a 71.58 scoring average while accumulating 20 rounds of par or better. He posted two top-five finishes this spring; a runner-up finish at the Coach Sykes Individual, where he shot 9-under-par, and a tie for fifth place at the Mason Rudolph Championship, leading the Vols at 4-under-par.
Kyes will be one of three Vols or VFLs in the field, joining Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington and VFL Caleb Surratt. Herrington will be competing in his second major, after impressing at the Masters in April, while Surratt will make his first major start. Like Kyes, Surratt qualified through the earlier window of U.S. Open Final Qualifying in May, while Herrington earned his spot through a runner-up finish at the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship last August.
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