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 the 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 wouldn’t 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 America’s 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 tour’s developmental circuit when it was known as the Hogan Tour.

“There’s 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 can’t I do this on the other levels? I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. But I just try to do the best I can.”

There are other stories like Sisk’s, as always.

Mackenzie Hughes didn’t 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. Let’s 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 2004) and Oakmont (in 2007), I thought these golf courses were too tough for me,” Sisk said. “This year, I don’t have any status on any tour. I’m 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.”

While he made it back to the U.S. Open, Sisk knows it will be even tougher the next time.

“Without a doubt, local qualifying is not easy nowadays,” he said.

Nonetheless, it still has room for anyone with $150 and a dream.