University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Grads Hervol, Zaback Qualify For U.S. Open
6/7/2021 11:53:00 PM | Men's Golf
Will Compete At Torrey Pines
UConn Athletic Communications / June 8, 2021
Two of the finest players in the history of the UConn golf program have qualified to play in the 121st U.S. Open.
Following a grueling, difficult journey of local and sectional qualifying that began with 8,680 hopeful players, 2016 UConn grad Zach Zaback and 2019 UConn grad Jimmy Hervol – who were UConn teammates for one season -- have each earned a berth in the Open, which will be played on June 17-20 at the South Course of the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif.
Hervol and Zaback were both competing in the sectional qualifier on Monday in Purchase, N.Y., at the Century Country Club and the Old Oaks Country Club. Out of 79 qualifiers at the sectional, just four would advance to the U.S. Open following 36-holes of competition – a round at each of the two courses.
Hervol, from Hopkinton, Mass., originally and now living in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., fired back-to-back 68s for a combined 5-under 136, good enough to finish second in the sectional field, three strokes behind sectional winner Cameron Young of Jupiter, Fla. (133). Zaback, originally from Farmington, Conn., who now calls West Palm Beach, Fla., home, was not far behind, shooting a 3-under, 69-70=138, to capture fourth place and claim the final U.S. Open berth.
The UConn program very nearly had a third alumnus competing in the Open, as 2015 UConn grad Chris Wiatr, originally from Woodbury, Conn., and now from Juno Beach, Fla., finished at 5-under, just one shot out of a playoff for 16th place at the sectional at Brookside Golf and Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Wiatr and numerous other players were on the course when darkness halted play on Monday and finished their rounds Tuesday morning. Out of 120 players in Columbus, 16 advanced to the Open.
Hervol holds the UConn record for the lowest career per round average at 72.44 in 46 events. He had 64 rounds of par-or-better, including 27 sub-70 rounds, a career-low round of 64 and recorded 3 tournament wins. He holds conditional status on the MacKenzie Tour. He qualified for the sectional qualifier by finishing among the top 5 out of 84 golfers at the Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, Mass., on May 11.
Zaback is among the top 5 in career scoring average at UConn with a 73.95 for 46 events. He produced 42 rounds of par-or-better, including 16 sub-70 rounds and a career-low round of 64. He also had three college victories. He currently competes mostly on the Korn Ferry Tour. He qualified for the sectional qualifier by finishing among the top 5 out of 84 golfers at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on April 29.
Hervol and Zaback will be the second and third UConn grads to compete in the U.S. Open in the last two years, joining 2017 UConn grad Eric Dietrich, who qualified for the 2019 Open at Pebble Beach.
