SUMMIT, N.J. — One of the golfers who stands to be affected most by the hoopla surrounding Michelle Wie's presence in Monday's U.S. Open men's sectional qualifying field sounds the least concerned.

One could even say David Gossett can't wait to tee it up.

"This is great practice. This is exactly what I want, playing in front of big crowds, vying for major tournaments," said Gossett, a journeyman from Arizona who will play in a threesome Monday with Wie and Long Island club pro Rick Hartmann.

Gossett has already experienced the Wie phenomenon from playing with her in a charity event in Hawai'i a few years ago. This time, the stakes are considerably higher for both players.

While Wie is shooting for the history books — no female has ever qualified for a men's major tournament — Gossett would benefit from a career jumpstart that qualifying for the Open would provide.

Gossett, 27, has tasted victory before, having earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2001 John Deere Classic. He also owns a U.S. Amateur title (1999) and earned more than $769,000 in purses in 2003. His earnings have dropped significantly since then, and he has less than $30,000 in official earnings since the beginning of 2004.

He does not begrudge the efforts of Wie or any other female to try to break into the men's majors.

"It does say the U.S. Open. It's open to everyone," he said. "It isn't the U.S. Men's Open. We don't limit it to just U.S. citizens or just men. It's a cool deal."