Former math teacher, loan officer among The Senior Open qualifiers
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Omar Uresti qualified for The Senior Open Championship with a lengthy eagle putt on the first hole of a 4-for-1 playoff. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Omar Uresti earns final of five spots in 4-for-1 playoff
A former math teacher and a South Dakota loan officer were among five players to qualify for The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex via Monday's qualifier, contested at Firestone Country Club’s Fazio Course in northeast Ohio.
This year’s Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex will be contested at Carnoustie Golf Links, July 25-28.
Jay Jurecic, who taught middle school math in Michigan before turning pro in 2021, earned medalist honors with a 9-under 61, comfortably punching his ticket to famed Carnoustie. Jurecic, who didn't play high school or college golf, was a math teacher for more than two decades. This will mark his second PGA TOUR Champions start; he debuted at the 2021 Sanford International.
Ryan Jansa and Jason Perry shared second place at 6-under 64, with Donald Carpenter III taking solo fourth at 5-under 65. Jansa, who has made two prior Champions Tour starts, is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as a real estate loan officer with First Dakota National Bank. Carpenter, an internal auditor at The University of Georgia, will make his second Champions Tour start; he debuted at the 2022 U.S. Senior Open.
Four players shared fifth place at 4-under 66, requiring a 4-for-1 playoff to determine the final available spot in The Senior Open field. Omar Uresti nabbed the spot with a lengthy eagle putt on the first playoff hole, the par-5 17th. Guy Boros took the first alternate spot from the qualifying site, followed by Anthony Rodriguez (second alternate) and Bob Sowards (third alternate).
The qualifier came in advance of this week’s Kaulig Companies Championship, which is contested at Firestone Country Club’s South Course. In all, 137 players competed at the Firestone qualifier for five Senior Open spots.