Former Army officer Marcus Plunkett went five years without regularly playing golf while fulfilling his military service. Now, he has qualified for a major championship at Royal Birkdale.
Plunkett posted an impressive T-4 finish on June 30, shooting a 69 and 72 at Dundonald Links, a qualifier for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Plunkett avoided a playoff and qualified for Royal Birkdale by one stroke.
Plunkett, 32, attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played on the school’s golf team. After graduating in 2016, he was stationed in South Korea as a transportation officer for a year before moving to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. During his time in Colorado, he was deployed to Afghanistan for six months, per Golf Club.
He did not resume playing golf regularly until the end of his service. Once he returned, he broke the course record at Fort Carson’s Cheyenne Shadows course. Upon his discharge in 2021, Plunkett turned professional.(RELATED: Fans Outraged After Rory McIlroy Reportedly Expected To Receive Zero Punishment Despite Breaking PGA Tour Rules)
In 2024, Plunkett had his first major breakthrough, winning the Dakotas Tour money list. He then earned a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) — the “Triple-A” level of the PGA Tour — through Q-School later that year. Plunkett struggled on the tour, making the cut in eight of 20 events and finishing 134th in the standings.
Cool story out of #TheOpen final qualifying…
Marcus Plunkett graduated from West Point, where he played college golf, in 2016. He then served five years in the Army as a transportation officer, spending his first year in South Korea before transferring to Fort Carson in… pic.twitter.com/bVzMYJufgW
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) June 30, 2026
The tournament at Royal Birkdale is scheduled for July 12-19 and boasts a $17,000,000 prize fund. It is the final men’s major of the year.