The 2024 U.S. Open is underway, and anticipation has built ahead of the third and toughest major championship of the year.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are the names that will undoubtedly catch the headlines, but there’s one big-hitting qualifier who needs to be talked about.
Charlie Reiter, who came through qualifying at Lake Merced Golf Club on June 3, is one to watch this week.
Who is Charlie Reiter?
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Reiter was born on July 20 1999, in Palm Desert, California. At the age of ten, Reiter competed in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour National Championship at PGA West before attending Palm Desert High School.
The American’s first breakthrough came during the 2017 Australian Open, where he made the cut and finished T65. Later that year, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur.
In 2023, Reiter played on the PGA Tour Canada circuit and is making his second appearance in the U.S. Open after featuring at The Country Club in 2022.
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The reason behind Reiter’s emergence in the headlines centres around his incredible ball speed.
As highlighted by Pro Golf Critic on X, the American was spotted regularly hitting a ball speed in the high 190s during his practice at Pinehurst this week.
Currently, Rieter is one of the few people who can match DeChambeau’s current speeds.
Reiter’s 199mph ball speed equated to a 360-yard carry – and with an extra long 48-inch driver in play this week, the American could be one to watch.
How Charlie Reiter qualified for the 2024 US Open
Reiter secured passage into the third major of the year after taking part in local qualifying at Bermuda Dunes Country Club.
After making it through the sectional qualifier, the American then headed to Lake Merced on June 3.
84 participants took to the Daly City course with four U.S. Open spots available. Reiter started slowly during the 36-hole marathon, shooting one over through his first 17 holes.
However, an eagle on the 18th ended his first round on a high before he carded a nine-under 63 to secure his spot at ten under, one shot better than RJ Manke.
Speaking after his round, Reiter told the Desert Sun: “It’s amazing. Even better this time.
“I know it’s a long day. I was just being patient and kind of just knew I needed to get at least under par for the first round. I knew I could fire something pretty low the second round, and that’s what happened.”
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