COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jason Dufner is going back to the U.S. Open for the 10th straight year, and this time he had to play his way in through one of 10 qualifiers across three countries Monday in the longest day in golf.

Luke Guthrie took a detour from the Web.com Tour and led the 14 qualifiers out of Columbus, the strongest of all sectionals with so many PGA Tour players who stayed around after the Memorial. He returns to the U.S. Open for the first time in five years.

He arrived from the Web event in North Carolina a little past midnight. He was headed to South Carolina on Tuesday morning to resume his Web schedule. And then he had to find a place to stay for the U.S. Open.

“I told my wife, `It might cost us $1,000 a night.’ But it’s Pebble Beach. Who cares?” Guthrie said.

The U.S. Open is June 13-16, the sixth time it is being held at Pebble Beach. Also qualifying from Columbus was Sam Saunders, whose late grandfather Arnold Palmer was among the principal owners of Pebble Beach.

Sixty spots were available at eight sites in the U.S., one in Canada and one in England. Fifteen players previously made it through 36-hole qualifiers in Dallas and Japan.

Dufner finished with a double bogey at the Memorial to fall into a tie for seventh, and then headed to Scioto some 12 hours later for 36 more holes. He was bogey-free at the tougher of the courses, and held on for a 71 at Brookside. He had been exempt for his previous nine appearances in the U.S. Open.

“All the way back to Rickie Fowler’s rookie year if that tells you anything,” Dufner said.

The clutch moment from Ohio came from Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who birdied the 18th hole at Scioto to make it an even 14 players to finish at 5 under or better. If he had made par, there would have been an 8-for-1 playoff for the last spot.

Instead, seven players went extra holes to determine the first alternate out of the sectional. That went to Joel Dahmen, and odds are he will be at Pebble Beach. The U.S. Open is holding six spots for anyone who might get into the top 60 in the world after next week.

Among those missing out was Steve Stricker, the 52-year-old old Ryder Cup captain.