13-year-old Burbank golfer falls short in bid for US Open

LOS ANGELES - A 13-year-old from Burbank will have to wait another year before making another bid to play against adults at the U.S. Open.

Jaden Soong fell short of making the cut to qualify for the U.S. Open Monday. Prior to Monday's results, Soong earned one of the last two spots in the 36-hole qualifier by shooting an even-par 72 at the local qualifier May 15 at Brentwood Country Club, finishing in a three-way tie for fourth in the field of 90.

Had he made the cut, the seventh-grader at Thomas Starr King Middle School would have been the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open. The current record for the youngest was set by Andy Zhang, who was 14 when he qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open.

Soong, who began playing golf when he was 12, said his favorite player is Jordan Spieth, a three-time major champion.

The Hillcrest final qualifier is among 10 being held Monday in the United States and Canada. The final number of available spots will be announced Monday.

The U.S. Open will be played June 15-18 at the Los Angeles Country Club, the second time it will be played in Los Angeles and the first since 1948 when it was played at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.

City News Service contributed to this report.