67 players fully exempt for 1998 U.S. Open Far Hills.  N.J.- Defending champion Ernie Els heads a list of 67 players who are fully exempt into the starting field for the 1998 U.S. Open, 18th - 21st June, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. Els, who also won the Open in 1994, is one of 11 past champions who are exempt. Four-time champion Jack Nicklaus will be playing in his 42nd consecutive Open, dating back to 1957. The final two players to earn exempt status were PGA Tour players John Huston and Glen Day, who were among the top 10 money winners for 1998 as of 25th May. The remaining 89 places in the field of 156 were filled through sectional qualifying, where 759 players compete at 12 sites, 8th - 9th June.

 Fully Exempt 
List 

Billy 
Andrade 8 Bernhard Langer 10 Stuart Appleby 9 Justin Leonard 4, 9,11, 16 Paul 
Azinger 5 Tom Lehman 4, 8, 9, 16 Thomas Bjorn 10,15 Davis Love III 5, 9, 16 Mark 
Brooks 5 Scott McCarron 8, 9 Olin Browne 8 Andrew Magee 9 Mark Calcavecchia 9,11	
Jeff Maggert 8, 9 Stewart Cink 8,9 Graham Marsh 7 Darren Clarke 10 Phil Mickelson	
9, 11,16 John Cook 9 Colin Montgomerie 8, 10, 16 Fred Couples 11,16 Jack Nicklaus	
14 Ben Crenshaw 3 Frank Nobilo 9 John Daly 4 David Ogrin 8 Glen Day 11 Jose Maria 
Olazabal 3, 10 David Duval 9, 11,16 Mark O'Meara 3, 9, 11,16 Steve Elkington 5,9,16	
Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 16 Ernie Els 1,8,9,15,16 Jesper Parnevik 9, 16 
Nick Faldo 3,16 Corey Pavin 1 Brad Faxon 9,16 Nick Price 4, 5, 9, 16 Jim Furyk	
8,9 Loren Roberts 8, 9 Ignacio Garrido 10 Costantino Rocca 10 Bill Glasson 9 Eduardo 
Romero 10 Retief Goosen 10 Scott Simpson 14 Jay Haas 8 Vijay Singh 9 John Huston	
11 Paul Stankowski 9 Steve Jones 1,9 Payne Stewart 1 Padraig Harrington 10 Curtis 
Strange 1 Scott Hoch 8,9,16 Tommy Tolles 8, 9 Hale Irwin 1 Bob Tway 8 Lee Janzen	
1,9 Tom Watson 11,16 Per-Ulrik Johansson 10 Lee Westwood 10 Robert Karlsson 10	
Tiger Woods 3, 9,11,16 Tom Kite 1 Ian Woosnam 10 Matt Kuchar 2  Key to 
Player Exemptions: 1) Winners of the U.S. Open Championship for the last 10 years. 
2) Winner of the 1997 U.S. Amateur Championship. 3) Winners of the Masters Tournament 
the last five years. 4) Winners of the British Open Championship the last five 
years. 5) Winners of the PGA of America Championship the last five years. 6) Winner 
of the 1998 Players Championship. 7) Winner of the 1997 U.S. Senior Open Championship. 
8) From the 1997 U.S. Open Championship, the 15 lowest scorers and anyone tying 
for 15th place. 9) From the 1997 final official PGA Tour money list, the top 30 
money leaders. 10) From the 1997 final official PGA European Tour Order of Merit 
list, the top 15 players. 11) From the 1998 official PGA Tour money list, the 
top 10 money leaders through May 25. 12) Any multiple winner of PGA Tour co-sponsored 
events whose victories are considered official from April 24, 1997, through the 
close of entries on April 22, 1998. 13) International players not otherwise exempt 
as selected by the USGA Executive Committee. 14) Special exemptions selected by 
the USGA Executive Committee. 15) From the 1998 PGA European Tour Order of Merit, 
the top two money leaders through May 25. 16) From the 1997 final World Rankings 
list, the top 20 players.