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Geoffrey Sisk is going back to the U.S. Open, an example of why this major championship truly is open to one and all. In what looked like a marathon and felt like a sprint, the 48-year-old New Englander went from being a long shot to assuring himself of a tee time at the U.S. Open in just 20 days. Sisk was among 18 players -- the smallest group in more than a decade -- who made it through 18 holes of local qualifying and then 36 holes of sectional qualifying to join Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the stars at Merion next week for toughest test in golf. The hard part for Sisk was just getting there. And it gets even more impressive. This was the sixth time he has gone through both stages to qualify for the U.S. Open. "I wish I wouldnt have, to be honest with you," Sisk said while waiting to catch a train from New York to Boston. The chuckle made it clear that he was actually glad that he paid the $150 fee to enter Americas national championship. But it was another reminder how maddening this game can be. Sisk has been a pro for 25 years. He made it to the PGA Tour only one time, for the 1999 season. He has been around long enough to have started on the tours developmental circuit when it was known as the Hogan Tour. "Theres part of me that says, This is great," Sisk said. "The flip side is that if I can do this now -- I performed well -- why cant I do this on the other levels? Im my own worst enemy sometimes. But I just try to do the best I can." There are other stories like Sisks, as always. Mackenzie Hughes didnt make it out of local qualifying -- he was the first alternate. But a spot opened up for him at Old Warson in St. Louis, where he was among 42 players competing for two spots. Hughes went 72-70 and earned the final spot in a playoff. He was so flustered that, when interviewed by Golf Channel after his round, he forgot which state Merion was located. He was on his way to Vancouver to play before the U.S. Open. Lets hope he finds his way. Wil Collins and Ryan Nelson made it through both stages for the second time. But six times? "I think after going to Shinnecock (in 1995 and 2004) and Oakmont (in 2007), I thought these golf courses were too tough for me," Sisk said. "This year, I dont have any status on any tour. Im not playing a lot of tournaments. So I spent the $150 to add a tournament to my very limited schedule. And I added a big one." Sisk shot a 68 at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass., to grab one of the five spots at his local qualifier. He signed up for the New York sectional because it was the closest one to home, and he had rounds of 68-69 at Old Oaks and Century to share medallist honours, making it with two shots to spare. Most of his U.S. Open memories are from Shinnecock Hills, where he made his U.S. Open debut the year before Woods turned pro. He had played some in South Africa and remembered the tall, athletic kid with an easy swing. So when he saw Ernie Els in the hotel lobby -- Els was the defending champion that year -- he asked for a practice round. "Id had a few cocktails, I asked him and he said, Sure, why dont we play. Mark McNulty was going to join us," Sisk said. "Im not the putting green, and Ernie says, Sisky, you ready? I said, Wheres Mark? And he said he wasnt there, along with a few choice words, and we were ready. Back then, I knew nothing about the U.S. Open. They had a starter on the tee who said, Now teeing off, Geoffrey Sisk and Ernie Els, the 1994 champion. "All of a sudden it goes from two people around us to about 200 on the first tee," he said. "Id never played before so many people in my life." He made it back to Shinnecock in 2004 after both stages of qualifying and was enjoying one of his best Opens, just 5-over going into the final round. Thats the year the course got away from the USGA, particularly the green on the par-3 seventh hole. "I remember hearing a rumour that Kevin Stadler had lipped out a par putt from 2 feet on No. 7 and his ball went into a bunker," Sisk said. "I hit a perfect shot that landed on a ledge and stayed on a ledge. A foot shorter, a foot longer, it would have been dead. I two-putted and never smiled so much over a par. I think I had four or five birdies that day and still shot 82." His next U.S. Open adventure could be a homecoming of sorts for Sisk, who played college golf at Temple until he graduated in 1987. But he doesnt see it that way. It was just another tournament to add to his schedule, another chance to test himself in a championship where he plays his best just to get in. How many more times will he try? Perhaps a more significant question is what keeps a guy going when hes 48 and had made to the big leagues just once? "I always said I would stop playing competitive golf when I did the best I could and things were going backward," he said. The next stop is Merion, though he wasnt in a huge rush to get there. Keegan Bradley, the former PGA champion and another New Englander, sent him a text of congratulations and invited him to fill out a group Sunday that includes Rickie Fowler. While he made it back to the U.S. Open, Sisk knows it will be even tougher the next time. Only five years ago, more than 30 players made it through local and sectional. But golf is getting younger, deeper. "Without a doubt, local qualifying is not easy nowadays," he said. Nonetheless, it still has room for anyone with $150 and a dream. Cheap Jordans . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Wholesale Air Jordan From China . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. http://www.wholesaleairjordanfromchina.com/ . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Cheap Jordan From China . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. SANDY, Utah -- Olmes Garcia scored twice in the final 10 minutes to help Real Salt Lake beat the Galaxy at home for the first time in more than two years, with 3-1 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night. "I am here to apply my skills and this is my skill -- to score," the Colombian said. Khari Stephenson scored late in the first half for RSL (8-5-3) and Landon Donovan scored an equalizer before halftime for Los Angeles (6-6-2) but it was not enough to help LA avoid its sixth loss in its past eight games across all competitions. Garcia headed home a cross from Javier Morales in the 84th minute to put RSL ahead, and then the two hooked up again two minutes into stoppage time. Morales sent a through ball into the centre of the box. Garcia latched onto the pass and buried it inside the left post to assure RSL of the three points. "These are the plays we need too do better at," Donovan said.dddddddddddd The teams were scoreless until the 44th minute, when Stephenson fired a right footed shot from outside the box in the 44th minute and buried inside the left post to give Salt Lake a 1-0 lead. Morales has impressed Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis with his late game energy and playmaking. "Hes showing hes at the top of his fitness level and at the top of his game," Kreis said. "Those things go hand in hand." Donovan tied it on a perfectly executed counter a minute later. He won a long 50/50 ball, pivoted toward the goal and then threaded the ball inside the left post to make it 1-1. The former U.S. national team star, who has been left out of recent selections by coach Jurgen Klinsmann following his sabbatical earlier this year, has nine goals and eight assists during 16 matches against Salt Lake. ' ' '