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Renner did not make the cut after finishing 15th on Monday — those spots went to Joey Vrzich, of La Jolla, California, who won the tournament with a two-round score of 139 (-5), and amateur Colin Prater of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who shot a 141 (-3) at the final qualifying tournament.

“I loved the experience to qualify for the U.S. Open, especially in my hometown,� Renner said. “Just didn’t have it today. But that’s OK. You live and you learn and it was a great experience. I love this place and I hope to try and qualify again.�

The 2024 U.S. Open is set for Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, June 13-16.

On a windy day at Pronghorn, Renner shot a 76 on the first 18 holes then improved to shoot a 74 in the second round. In total he birdied six holes and parred 20 of them to finish 6-over par.

Renner was one of 21 amateur golfers in the field and was the fourth highest finisher in that group.

To get to Monday’s tournament Renner had to qualify at a local qualifying tournament. He did so by tying for first at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash., on May 14.

Renner has played in a host of major tournaments — from junior amateur qualifiers, the state championship golf tournament, and competing in the Pac-12 — during his young golf career.

But the 36-hole day of high-intensity golf proved to be a new challenge.

“They call this the longest day in golf for a reason,� Renner said. “It’s tough. My hamstrings hurt. The winner is the one who’s mentally tough and golf is a mental game. It was tough, but I learned a lot.�

Renner was a member of the Bend North Little League team that reached the Little League World Series in 2016. In 2019 he played in the U.S. Junior Amateur golf tournament.

Now he is at Washington State, where he quickly made a name for himself as one of the top golfers on the team and in the Pac-12.

He had a breakout freshman year as the top freshman finisher at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships. He boasted an average score of 72.90 in tournaments, which was the second-lowest scoring average by a freshman in program history.

“I’m right where I want to be,� Renner said. “I’m playing the one through the three in the lineup. I played some really good golf besides a couple of tournaments, but I’m really looking forward to next season.�

Last summer when the Pac-12 Conference disbanded, Renner was one of many athletes in the conference that was left uncertain about what would happen once the conference finished its final year. He was going to wait and see what happened before making his decision.

Washington State, along with Oregon State, will join the West Coast Conference for the majority of its sports, including basketball, volleyball, cross-county and golf the next two years.

As Renner sees it, the conference realignment does not really impact golf the way it does for, say, football and basketball. The tournaments the Cougars play in largely remain the same and they will still be playing throughout the West Coast.

So Renner will stay on the Palouse.

“It’s a great golf conference,� he said. “We still have great competition and I don’t think much is going to change. I still think spirits are still high. For golf, it is still a great golf conference.�