PENN TWP — There will be 84 golfers looking to keep their U.S. Open dreams alive Thursday at Butler Country Club.

But it won’t be easy.

BCC plays host to a U.S. Open local qualifier that day, with the top five in the field advancing to one of 10 U.S. Open sectional qualifiers across the country.

Thursday’s qualifier — one of 111 U.S. Open qualifiers in 43 states — is an 18-hole event and is open to spectators. The sectional qualifiers — which all take place June 6 — consist of 36 holes in one day.

“Getting through to the sectional is tough enough,” Butler Country Club pro Rob McClellan said. “I’ve gotten there twice. You basically have to play close to the best two rounds of golf in your life to make the Open.”

Every golfer in Thursday’s field has listed, in order of preference, the sectional they’d like to play in should they qualify to move on.

McClellan said a varying number of golfers qualify for the U.S. Open through sectional play. That number is primarily based on the size of the sectional field.

“The one near Columbus (Ohio) may send 15 to 20 golfers (to the U.S. Open), but that sectional will have the biggest field and will include a lot of Tour players,” McClellan said.

Local golfers among the field Thursday include Brent Rodgers and Jake Smithco of Cranberry Township, Joe Boros of Saxonburg, Brett Rinker of Slippery Rock, Josh Bartley of Valencia and McClellan.

Also competing will be multiple-time Butler Eagle County Amateur champion Sean Knapp and 13-year-old Skylar Fox of Beaver Falls, a regular player at Olde Stonewall.

Knapp has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open 35 times and has reached the sectional on nine occasions. He has never played in the U.S. Open.

Clearly, Fox will be the youngest golfer in the field. Any golfer with a handicap no higher than two can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“This will be a great experience for me,” Fox said. I’m just going to play my game and see what happens. I’ll have fun with it.”

Fox practices for two hours and plays 36 holes of golf a day at Olde Stonewall when he’s not in school. He won the U.S. Kids Tour title last year.

He plays in roughly 40 to 50 tournaments a year.

He recently returned from Augusta, Ga., where he finished second overall in a national drive, chip and putt competition.

“There were 250,000 golfers who tried to get there and they only took the top 10,” Fox said. “My drives weren’t very good that day, about 215 yards, but I won the chipping and putting part of the competition.”

Fox has played Butler Country Club twice, shooting rounds of 69 and 71.

“Skylar is a special player, a phenomenal junior golfer,” Olde Stonewall club pro Sean Swidzinski said. “He works on his game every day.”

Swidzinski said Fox can drive the ball “at 260 yards consistently, as far as 275 or 280 on occasion.”

“His short game and putting are extremely accurate,” he added.

The two other local U.S. Open qualifiers are scheduled for Monday at The Club at Nevillewood and May 19 at Scotch Valley Country Club near Hollidaysburg.

TEE TIMES

U.S. Open Local Qualifier

Butler Country Club

Thursday

Hole #1

8 a.m. — Ryan Costello (Pittsburgh), Chris Kupniewski (Erie), Carmen Peluso (Pittsburgh)

8:09 a.m. — Jack Katarincic (Pittsburgh), Michael Lubrani (Belle Vernon), Jimmy Meyers (Wexford)

8:19 a.m. — Bob Ford (Oakmont), Sasha Lobel (Pittsburgh), Michael Kenney (Kent)

8:28 a.m. — Davis Diethrich (Pittsburgh), Zach Herr (New Hope), John Aber (Pittsburgh)

8:38 a.m. — Hunter Bruice (McMurray), Alex Lawson (Pittsburgh), Dave Yokitis (Pittsburgh)

8:47 a.m. — Joe Boros (Saxonburg), Mitch Mercer (Wexford), Sean Knapp (Oakmont)

8:57 a.m. — Brandon Pluchinsky (North Lima, Ohio), Dan Obrembski (Irwin), Alex Angelone (Irwin)

9:06 a.m. — Sean Sweithelm (Indiana), Kyle Kockler (Coudersport), William Plyler (Wexford)

9:16 a.m. — Ben Huss (Bethel Park), Ben Huber (Allison Park), Kevin Shields (Pittsburgh)

9:25 a.m. — Julian Paul (Ontario, Canada), Ben Reichert (East Amherst, NY), Rob McClellan (Butler)

9:35 a.m. — Ian Bangor (Moon Twp.), Austin Matz (Wexford), JD Dornes (Lancaster)

9:44 a.m. — Jimmy Ellis (Venetia), Brian Cooper (Imperial), Rob Stoops (Gibsonia)

9:54 a.m. — Erik Bertrand (Pittsburgh), Jonathan Dirubbo (Pittsburgh), Thomas Lydic (North Bloomfield, Ohio)

10:03 a.m. — Mark Hoffman (Ontario, Canada), Steve Markovitz (Windermere, Fla.), Rick Stimmel (Pittsburgh)

10:13 a.m. — James Dolan (Pittsburgh), Ryan Boland (Ebensburg), Marc Hedrick (Princeton, NJ)

Hole #9

8 a.m. — Brent Rodgers (Cranberry Twp.), Matt Durish (Ontario, Canada), Bo Andrews (Raleigh, N.C.)

8:09 a.m. — Dave Paulik (Washington, Pa.), Brian Short (State College), Nicholas Kirsch (Steubenville, Ohio)

8:19 a.m. — Skylar Fox (Beaver Falls), Patrick Luth (Medina, Ohio), Matt Barto (Leechburg)

8:28 a.m. — Scott McKee (New Castle), Mike McMahon (Wexford), Jeremy Enslen (Uniontown)

8:38 a.m. — Dan McIntyre (Lexington, Ky.), Matt DelRossa (Pittsburgh), Kevin Koerbel (Wexford)

8:47 a.m. — Shawn McCall (Ambridge), Kyle Grube (Indiana), Jim Bulger (Sewickley)

8:57 a.m. — Dean Casello (Ambridge), Brett Rinker (Slippery Rock), Jonathan Miles (Wilmington, N.C.)

9:06 a.m. — Patrick Kelly (Erie), Chuck Nettles (McMurray), Bernie Hough (West Newton)

9:16 a.m. — Wendell Ponder (Naples, Fla.), Sean Moffat (Erie), Michael Grisnik (Wexford)

9:25 a.m. — Don Lewis (Wexford), Thaddeus Obecny (Wheeling, W.Va.), Parker McLachlin (Scottsdale, Ariz.)

9:35 a.m. — Colin Deep (Bethel Park), Matt Denesha (Oakmont), Josh Lorenzetti (Blythwood, S.C.)

9:44 a.m. — Josh Bartley (Valencia), Jason Yu Li (Sewickley), Jake Smithco (Cranberry Twp.)

9:54 a.m. — Brian Ford (Monroeville), Danny Yustin (East Amherst, N.Y.), Brady Pevarnik (Latrobe)