Nearly every serious golfer in the United States has dreamed about qualifying for the U.S. Open. Former Chico State athlete Brandon Harkins has done it.
 
Harkins, who represented the Wildcats at the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Championships, sank a birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday at Lake Merced Golf Course in Daly City to win a three-man playoff and earn one of 72 U.S. Open tee times reserved for sectional qualifiers.
 

Harkins will now be in the 156-man field, playing alongside the top golfers in the world, at the 116^th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, starting on June 16.
 
Since leaving Chico State, Harkins (Attended 2008-11, Psychology) has spent the last five years playing professionally, hoping to eventually land on the PGA Tour. He quickly earned his Canadian Tour card and has since played on the Web.com Tour, and most recently the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, in which he currently ranks 24^th on the money list.
 
But this trumps everything Harkins has accomplished up until now.

According to the U.S. Open website: "Professional golfers and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4 are eligible to file an entry. So for those dreaming of competing against the likes of defending champion Jordan Spieth and other world-class players, U.S. Open local qualifying is the place to start."
 
One of 9,397 to enter into local qualifying, Harkins shot a 5-under par 67 to win by three shots at Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton. One of five from his local event to advance to Sectional Qualifying, he was now up against roughly 1,000 players in the hunt for those 72 spots.
 
They were spread out over 12 Sectional Qualifying events: 10 in the United States, one in Japan, and one in England. Harkins, who now calls Prescott, Arizona home, chose to play at The Olympic Club (Ocean Course) and Lake Merced Golf Club Sectional. He was one of 100 players. Only six would earn a spot in the U.S. Open.
 
Harkins shot a 3-under 68 at The Olympic Club and a 3-under par 69 at Lake Merced and finished tied with two other players for sixth. He birdied the 10^th hole, the first playoff with David Gazzolo of Riverside, and Hunter Larson of Naalehu, Hawaii, to secure the final position.
 
Harkins, who says he will play with a Wildcat logo on his Callaway bag, may not be the only former Wildcat on the course. Two-time NCAA Champion JJ Jakovac is the full-time caddy for Ryan Moore, who is in the field based on his Official World Golf Ranking. Another former Wildcat, Scott Raber could make an appearance on the bag as well. His older brother Tyler qualified.