So, you're excited to play the South Course at Torrey Pines in June for San Diego's first hosted US Open golf tournament. Well, you need to qualify first Average Joe...

The good news for you is that any professional golfer or any amateur with a USGA men's handicap index of 1.4 or lower can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Many golfers are exempt from sectional qualifying, or exempt from local qualifying but not from sectional. Most of the exemptions are based on such things as performance in other majors, performance in other USGA championships, standing on the money list or world golf rankings, and so on.

Assuming you don't qualify for an exemption (which you, Average Joe, probably don't), then you'll have to take part in a local qualifier.

Local qualifiers are 18 holes in length, played at stroke play. Golfers who advance out of local qualifying move on to the sectional qualifiers, where they are also joined by golfers who were exempt from local qualifying.

Those who make it through sectional qualifying join the final field of 156 golfers for the U.S. Open, along with all the golfers who were exempt from any qualifying.

Now, how do you get into those local qualifiers?

That's the easy part: Fill out the USGA US Open application and mail it in, along with your check for the entry fee. As long as you meet the entry requirements (professional or amateur with 1.4 handicap index or below), and you correctly fill out the entry form, you're in. (Although it should be noted that if you get in and you fails to meet a "good play" scoring threshhold set by the USGA, any future applications on your part might be rejected.)

Entry forms for the 2008 US Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines will be posted the first week in March on the USGA website here. The entry deadline is usually in late April.