Josh Eure (70-68 – 138) a 19-year-old from Crofton, Chris Baloga (73-66 – 139) a 27-year-old from Baltimore, and Denny McCarthy (71-72 – 143) a 17-year-old from Burtonsville, were the three survivors Wednesday at Crofton Country Club in U.S. Open qualifying.

McCarthy made a 15-foot putt on his final hole to avoid a playoff for the final slot. Four of the five players who tied at 144 played for the alternate slots. Stephen Bosdosh (74-70 – 144) of Clarksburg made a birdie on the first playoff hole to get the top spot. Steve Delmar of Gaithersburg (75-69 – 144) got the second alternate slot with a par.

It was the first attempt to qualify for medalist Eure, a sophomore at Arkansas, who was playing on his home course. It will also be the first trip to the Amateur for Baloga. McCarthy qualified for the Amateur last year, becoming the youngest ever from the Washington area to do so.

The Amateur will be held Aug. 23-29 at Chambers Bay (Wash.), a highly-acclaimed, Robert Trent Jones-designed, links-style course near Tacoma. It is the first USGA event at the course, which will host the 2015 U.S. Open.  

See more on the Crofton qualifier in the Friday Washington Examiner.