Busy summer for Palmer Jackson starts with U.S. Open sectional qualifier

Palmer Jackson was on the Hannastown Golf Club course June 2 playing against his good friend, Mark Goetz.

No offense to Goetz, but Jackson would have rather been in Phoenix playing in the NCAA Division I Championship.

But Jackson wasn’t pouting. He was preparing to play in the United States Golf Association’s Open Sectional on June 6 in Columbus. He was scheduled to play at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club and Wedgewood Golf and Country Club as part of a field of 120 golfers vying for 16 spots in the 122nd U.S. Open June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Jackson planned to head to Columbus on June 4 to play some practice rounds on two courses he’s never played on.

“I’ll focus on the green complex and where I’ll hit drives to attack the greens,” Jackson said. “Look at where there is a good place to miss off the green.

“You prepare, you learn what way the winds blow, and then you try to keep it simple and play.”

Playing in a USGA Sectional is nothing new for the Notre Dame junior. He played in Columbus last year at the Brookside Golf and Country Club and The Lake Golf and Country Club courses.

“I knew what to expect, so I should be OK,” Jackson said. “It’s a good field of pros and amateurs. I’m looking forward to the competition.

“It will be a learning experience. Even if I don’t qualify for the U.S. Open, I have the Sunnehanna Amateur to look forward to. It’s one of my favorite tournaments.”

Jackson said he hates not playing in tournaments.

Between the sectional and either the U.S. Open or Sunnehanna, he’ll play in a Westmoreland County Golf Association event with Kevin Fajt.

“I have high expectations,” Jackson said. “I just want to play well. I watched someone shoot a 64 and wedge in two shots from the fairway. Anything can happen.”

Jackson said he has a busy schedule, which includes playing in some of the top amateur events in the country.

The highlight: The Franklin Regional graduate will be representing the U.S. in the Arnold Palmer Cup, hosted by Golf Club de Genève in Switzerland July 1-3.

The event, which began in 1997, is a Ryder Cup-style tournament in which the top collegiate golfers in the U.S. compete against a team from Europe.

He was selected using Golfstat’s NCAA Player Ranking as a base and the Arnold Palmer Cup ranking awards bonus points for wins and high finishes and a penalty for poor finishes.

The ranking also contains strength of schedule component. The ranking is used to identify the top six golfers who automatically qualify for the team. The rest of the 12-person roster will be selected by a committee before the competition begins.

“I am grateful and honored to be a member of the United States team for the Arnold Palmer Cup,” Jackson said. “This will be my first time to Europe and I’m excited.”

But for now, his focus was playing well on the two courses in Columbus.