Yesterday (Tuesday, May 10), the Missoula Country Club hosted a local qualifier for the 2022 U.S. Open.

When so much is at stake, it is a certainty that the golf course will be made especially challenging. With longer holes and trickier pin placements, the course is going to demand golfers be at their best if they want any chance at competing in one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments.

And Matt Marshall, who lists his home town as Darby, Montana, put in a tremendous round to tie for first in the tournament and advance to sectional qualifying later this year. While the day was a bit cool, there was some sunshine and mostly calm winds, making for what sounds like pretty favorable playing conditions.

Nick Dietzen, Executive Director of the Montana State Golf Association, tells us that Matt Marshall shot a six-under-par round of 65.  He opened his round with a birdie on the first hole, then added another on the fifth hole, en route to a 33 on the front side. Matt made the turn in style with an eagle the 10th hole and followed it up with a birdie on No. 11 and No. 17 to come in with 32 on the back nine to finish his round at six-under-par. Matt never did worse than par on any hole.

Marshall has been a professional since 2009. He played played eight years on the Canadian Tour following a collegiate career at UCLA and UC Davis. He previously qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Our congratulations also go out to Harrison Murphy of McKinney, Texas, who matched Matt Marshall's 65 to tie for medalist honors and also qualify for the U.S. Open. Good luck to both players. The U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. This year's U.S. Open is in Brookline, Mass., June 16-19.

Several other golfers with ties to Montana had a good round as well, including Jimmy Mee of Missoula, tied for 6th, Brian Beach of Helena, tied for 9th, Joey Lovell of Bozeman and Caleb Stetzner of Anaconda, tied for 13th and Dakota Jenson of Polson, tied for 17th.

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