Stallings’ free pass for Merion

The FedEx St Jude Classic represents the last chance for players to qualify for next week’s US Open, but Scott Stallings yesterday 
secured his place at Merion without hitting a ball.

Stallings has replaced England’s Roger Chapman in the field for the year’s second major championship after the 2012 US Senior Open champion was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury.

Stallings, who was fourth in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village on Sunday, had been the first alternate from sectional qualifying in Memphis after shooting rounds of 70 and 69 at Colonial Country Club on Monday.

The top 60 in the world rankings on Sunday evening qualify for the US Open, although American Kyle Stanley is the only player currently inside the top 60 who is not already exempt.

Stanley’s third place at the Memorial moved him from 90th to 59th in the standings but he is not playing in Memphis and will face an anxious wait to see if he is overtaken.