photo by: AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Kansas' Gunnar Broin drives the ball during an NCAA golf tournament on Monday, March 13, 2023, in St. Simons Island, Ga.

Kansas senior Gunnar Broin secured a spot in the 2024 U.S. Open by tying for third place among 68 competitors at a qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.

When he begins play at the tournament, which takes place from June 13-16 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, he will be “believed to be the first active Kansas golfer to tee it up in a PGA TOUR major championship,” according to a KU Athletics press release.

“It’s crazy,” Broin said in a video posted on the PGA Tour University social media account. “Honestly, I’ve only dreamt about it. Like, now I’m here, and in a week and a half I’ll be at Pinehurst, or probably a week, I don’t even know. But I’m just excited to compete and excited to get out there and get to play against the best players in the world.”

Broin, a senior who averaged a tally of 72.59 strokes across his 37 collegiate rounds during the 2023-24 season, shot a 6-under 65 and a 3-under 68 in Columbus. He is the only amateur among the five qualifying golfers from Columbus, and he made it out of a 4-for-3 playoff (four golfers tied with three spots available) to earn his position.

“We’re really happy for Gunnar,” KU head coach Jamie Bermel said in the release. “I thought he was making really good progress this spring but didn’t quite have the results. I’m certain this validates his hard work and commitment to getting better. This is a great opportunity to play in one of the greatest golf events in the world on an unbelievable golf course.”

Broin’s best round since his arrival at KU was a 9-under 63 at the Hawkeye Invitational during his junior season; he shot a 4-under 67 in Hawaii during the fall of 2023 for his lowest total of the 2023-24 campaign.

He spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Colorado State. Because one of those was the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign, he has one year of eligibility remaining.