Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy is considering skipping the year's second major for the first time since the Australian won the prestigious title in 2006.
The 39-year-old Ogilvy famously outlasted Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie to win his first and only major triumph by one shot at New York's Winged Foot 11 years ago.
But the eight-time US PGA Tour winner is now prioritising locking up his Tour card for 2018 over contesting the June 15-18 event at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
With his 10-year past champion status at the US Open expiring last year, Ogilvy has until June 12 to improve his ranking from world No.214 to No.60 in order to be eligible for the big dance.
Failing that, Ogilvy would be forced to endure 36-hole qualifying on June 6.
Although he's applied to play at the last-ditch Monday event in Columbus, Ohio, Ogilvy is leaning towards heading straight to the FedEx St Jude Classic event in Memphis, Tennessee.
"Being at qualifying is going to be strange. There's an outside chance I wouldn't go... there's some reasonably compelling reasons to not try," Ogilvy told PGA Tour.com.
"If you do qualify, it might mess up Memphis. Then, you go to the US Open, maybe miss the cut and go to (the Travelers Championship) tired. So, we'll wait and see."
Ogilvy is using his one-time career money earnings exemption for this season after failing to keep his card last year.
Arizona-based Ogilvy is hoping to secure a start in the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs series by virtue of finishing in the top-125 on the season-long points race, which would afford him status on the Tour for 2018.
Ogilvy currently sits inside the cut-off at 109th following eight cuts made from 16 starts this season.
"It's not that I don't want to play in the US Open or that I don't want to win, it's just my priority at the moment has got to be moving up in the FedEx Cup and the world rankings," said Ogilvy.
The 2010 Australian Open champion will tee it up at this week's Dean & Deluca Invitational at the famed Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
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