Norman Settles for U.S. Open Alternate’s Spot : Golf: Tiger Woods, Crenshaw and Miller also fail to make the field during qualifying.

Greg Norman might skip the U.S. Open after settling for an alternate’s spot during qualifying on Monday.

Norman, who has a reputation for coming close to winning golf’s major tournaments but losing in heartbreaking ways, was part of an eight-way playoff for the final four spots available at The Lakes Club in Columbus, Ohio, one of 10 qualifying sites on Monday.

Norman watched as Kirk Triplett and former Masters champion Larry Mize birdied the second playoff hole. Peter Jacobsen and Brian Claar had ensured themselves of Open slots with birdies on the first playoff hole.

Mize had won the Masters in 1987 during a playoff with Norman by sinking a lengthy chip shot.

“I’m disappointed, but at least I tried,” said Norman, who earned the alternate’s role with a par on the third extra hole.

Asked if he agreed with having to go through a qualifier to reach the Open field, he said, “That’s the conditions to get in their tournament. You’ve got to do what they say you have to do.”

Tom Lehman, the 1991 Ben Hogan player of the year, led 18 qualifiers with rounds of 66 and 70.

Former U.S. Open champion Johnny Miller missed out at the Lake Merced Golf and Country Club in Daly City, Calif., as did Tiger Woods of Anaheim.

Miller, who won the 1973 Open, shot two 77s and was well behind. He was trying to reach the tournament for the first time in five years. Brandt Jobe shot a 69 in the final round to lead 10 qualifiers at 142.

Woods, at 16 the youngest player to tee off in a PGA tournament when he played at the Los Angeles Open in February, had a 151. He three-putted six greens.

“I needed hours of practice and I only got an hour,” said Woods, who blamed his inability to practice enough on final exams. “You could see it in my putting. The putting is always the last to come back. If I putted well, I would have made it no problem.”

Ben Crenshaw, a former Masters champion, had a 145 at Champions Golf Club in Houston and failed to reach the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year.

“I didn’t play well and I didn’t putt well,” said Crenshaw, considered one of the game’s best putters. “I just never got things going. You’ve got to put two good rounds together, and I just didn’t get the job done.”

Tray Tyner and Tom Jenkins each shot 138 to lead four qualifiers.

Warren Schutte of South Africa, the 1991 NCAA champion from Nevada Las Vegas, had a 142 and led four qualifiers at Big Foot Country Club in Fontana, Wis.

Brandel Chamblee and Steve Gotsche each shot nine-under 135s to qualify at the Columbine Country Club in Littleton, Colo., and Darryl Donovan had a 139 to top three qualifiers at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Wash.

At the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla., Denis Watson had rounds of 69 and 67 to head six qualifiers. Watson, who recently returned to the PGA Tour after sitting out for seven months because of a shoulder injury, was competing for the third time since he left the tour in November.

Webb Heintzelman birdied eight of the last 22 holes at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., to reach his fourth U.S. Open. Heintzelman, who plays on the Hogan Tour, shot a 71-68-139 to beat Houston Open winner Fred Funk by two strokes.

Brad Faxon, who won the Buick Open in 1991 and earned more than $422,000 on the PGA Tour last season, qualified at 142 with amateur Jimmy Johnston, a senior from Georgia Tech.

John Flannery, who won the Ben Hogan Quicksilver Open on Sunday, shot two 69s to lead five qualifiers at the Sharon Golf Club outside of Cleveland. Flannery’s 138 total tied Jerry Anderson and Rick Dalpos for first.

Michael Walton shot a course-record seven-under 65 at the Golf Club of Georgia course, and was five shots in front when play was suspended because of rain midway through qualifying.

Two PGA Tour players, Tim Simpson and Peter Persons, withdrew. Simpson left on the 15th hole because of a wrist injury and Persons quit after shooting a 74.

The U.S. Open will be at Pebble Beach on June 18-21.