Veteran Cejka earns his way to the U.S. Open

Alex Cejka of Germany earned his seventh appearance at the U.S. Open after playing through windy and cold conditions in a two-round Sectional Qualifying on Monday. The Black Mountain sponsored player posted a five-under-par 67 in the morning round at Lake Merced and continued his fine form when he completed his campaign atop the leaderboard with a sparkling 65 in the second round at the Ocean Course at the Olympic Club.

The 43-year-old put on an impressive display of golf without hitting a single bogey in 36 holes as he returned with a winning total of 11-under-par 132. The only 2014 U.S. Open sectional qualifier in California had a field of 110 and five U.S. Open spots up for grabs.

“I was kind of hoping for the bad weather,” said Cejka. “Coming from Europe, I know that it eliminates a lot of players who don’t like bad weather.”

“It was challenging, especially in these conditions,” said Cejka, who has played in 21 career majors and owns four wins on the European Tour. “You don’t have four days. It’s one day. I figured I had to play aggressively. You just have to pick your line and trust it.”

Cejka, who tied for eighth in the 2010 U.S. Open, also finished fourth in the 2003 PGA Championship.