Golf World Rankings:Despite a disappointing weekend at Wentworth Graeme McDowell has qualified for the US Open at Pebble Beach after remaining in the top 50 of the world rankings.
McDowell finished tied for 28th at the BMW PGA championship. Had 54-hole leader Chris Wood won at Wentworth and not slumped to a final round 77, McDowell would have been facing the qualifiers.
However, the Englishman plummeted down the leaderboard and McDowell took his chances by declining to play in the 36-hole qualifying event at Walton Heath this morning.
After Justin Day won the Byron Nelson in Texas last night, the gamble paid off and the Irishman was confirmed 49th in the world and eligible for the US Open and British Open.
Simon Khan celebrated his PGA Championship victory with a glass or two of champagne but was out on course 12 hours later to make a solid start to qualifying this morning.
The 37-year-old, who became the first invited player to win the European Tour's flagship event, continued his good form by carding a 67 to be two strokes off the lead halfway through the event. The top 11 in the 78-strong field qualify for Pebble Beach next month.
"I decided after a couple of glasses of champagne that it seemed like a good idea to play today," Khan said. "I missed the first year here at Walton Heath in 2005 as that was the year my daughter was born but I've been coming back since 2006 and it was only last year that I qualified for my first US Open.
"But then a lot of people said to me after I missed the cut at Bethpage Park by a stroke that I wished I had never went. So if it had gone the other way at Bethpage Park and I made the cut then it could have transformed my year so that I may not have had to go to the Q-School."
Sweden's Niclas Fasth heads the field after carding a seven-under par 65 with Rhys Davies and John Parry second after rounds of 66.
Khan shares fourth place with Gary Boyd along with Julian Quesne and Richie Ramsay.
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie carded a two-under par 70 but the Scot said he needed a 67 or better in his second round later today if he was to be returning to Pebble Beach.
Darren Clarke’s prospects of reaching California were not good after he opened with a 74 on the Old Course while Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie both shot 73s and will need something special this afternoon.
“I’m just struggling and don’t particularly feel like playing golf,” a downbeat Clarke said after his opening round.
Of the Irish, Shane Lowry and Gareth Maybin were best placed on one under but still well outside the qualifying positions.
Latest leading positions in the world golf rankings:
1 Tiger Woods 10.60pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 9.62, 2 Lee Westwood 7.76, 4 Steve Stricker 7.76, 5 Jim Furyk 7.00, 6 Ian Poulter 5.92, 7 Ernie Els 5.81, 8 Paul Casey 5.66, 9 Rory McIlroy 5.32, 10 Anthony Kim 5.12
11 Martin Kaymer 4.91, 12 Robert Allenby 4.71, 13 Luke Donald 4.67, 14 Pádraig Harrington 4.48, 15 Camilo Villegas 4.35, 16 Retief Goosen 4.16, 17 Geoff Ogilvy 4.09, 18 Hunter Mahan 3.98, 19 Lucas Glover 3.86, 20 YE Yang 3.84
Other leading Europeans:
22 Henrik Stenson, 30 Robert Karlsson, 32 Sergio Garcia, 33 Alvaro Quiros, 34 Ross Fisher, 38 Edoardo Molinari, 39 Francesco Molinari, 42 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 43 Peter Hanson, 49 Graeme McDowell, 50 Oliver Wilson, 53 Soren Hansen, 57 Soren Kjeldsen, 62 Anders Hansen, 64 Justin Rose, 68 Simon Dyson, 70 Ross McGowan, 71 Chris Wood, 75 Rhys Davies, 78 Fredrik Andersson Hed, 84 Fredrik Jacobson, 85 Alex Noren, 91 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 97 Gregory Bourdy, 100 Danny Willett