Campbell makes pitch with notables

THE EGALITARIAN nature of the British Open qualifying system, which sees, first, regional qualifiers followed by final sectional qualifying, is borne out by the diverse range of players, from Major champions to top amateurs, who will seek to book tickets to Royal St Georges in final qualifying today.

The play will be held over four links courses closeby the championship venue in Sandwich, Kent.

New Zealander Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open champion whose exemption into the British Open has run out, is among the 288 players competing for just 12 spots in the season’s third Major on July 14th-17th.

An eight-time winner on the European Tour, Campbell played in 12 successive British Opens before missing out on a place at the 150th anniversary staging at St Andews last year.

Campbell is one of a number of tour notables, including Ryder Cup players Joakim Haeggman, Peter Baker and Paul Broadhurst, who will attempt to come through the qualifying minefield.

As of now, four Irish players – Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke – are exempt for Sandwich.

There are seven Irish players involved in 36 holes of qualifying action today, where only three spots at each of the four venues will be available.

Noel Fox and Patrick Devine are competing at Littlestone; Niall Turner and Tim Rice are competing at Prince’s; Brendan McCarroll is playing at Royal Cinque Ports; and Colm Moriarty and amateur Simon Ward are in action at Rye.

Of the septet seeking to earn a place in the oldest Major, only Moriarty has played in the championship. The Athlone man qualified for last year’s Open at St Andrews, where he finished in tied-37th place.

Fox, Devine, Turner, Rice, McCarroll and Ward all came through regional qualifying at Royal Dublin.

Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, winner of the US Masters in 1994 and ’99, was scheduled to play at Littlestone but has withdrawn.

The Spaniard, who has battled with arthritic pains for over 15 years, has also pulled out of this week’s French Open, but remains in the field for next week’s Scottish Open which offers the last chance for a place in the British Open where he would need to finish in the top five.

Korean teenager Hwang Jung-Gon, meanwhile, booked his place in the field at Sandwich by winning the Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour on Sunday, one of the designated tournaments offering exemptions.

Bae Sang-Moon, Brad Kennedy and Prayad Marksaeng also earned their places in the field by finishing inside the top-four.