2004 British Open qualifying coming to Australia
IN: News | European PGA | British Open (2004) | General | 02 May 2003
International qualifying events for the Open Championship are to be held on five continents from 2004, giving more players from around the world the chance to gain direct entry into golf's oldest championship from their home territories. The international final qualifying events will be played in Africa, Asia, Australasia, America and Europe for the first time in the build-up to the Open at Royal Troon on July 15-18, 2004.
The events will be open to any players holding Official World Golf Ranking points who have not gained exemption into the championship by any other qualification. The field for each international final qualifying will be limited to 120 players. If the entry is higher, players with the greater number of world ranking points will gain the places. Players are free to chose any of the five international venues irrespective of where they normally compete.
In 2004 the new international final qualifying (IFQ) competitions of 36-hole stroke play will be held on February 24 at Kingston Heath Golf Club, Victoria, Australia; June 28 at Sunningdale Golf Club's Old and New Courses, England, and Congressional Country Club's Gold and Blue Courses, Maryland, USA. Further international qualifying will be held at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on a date to be announced, and in South Africa, where venue and date are still to be confirmed.
The new events are in addition to the existing system of 16 regional qualifying (RQ) venues, all in Great Britain and Ireland, and the four local final qualifying (LFQ) events which take place at the beginning of Open week on courses close to the championship venue.
Competition for places in the field at Royal Troon will be fierce. The IFQs in Africa, Asia and Australasia will guarantee at least four qualifying places - a one in 30 chance of success in a field of 120. Players such as Scott Laycock, Rod Pampling and Richard Green, who are currently ranked outside the top 100, would have a chance of pre-qualifying. Those in America and Europe will each be guaranteed at least 12 places.
Local final qualifying will take place at Glasgow (Gailes), Irvine, Turnberry Kintyre and Western Gailes on Saturday and Sunday, July 10-11, one day earlier than has been the recent practice. A total of 12 places will be available.
The field for the Open will remain at 156 and if the 2004 modified exemption conditions were applied to recent Open entries, approximately 96 players would be exempt. With 36 players coming from IFQ and 12 from LFQ, this would leave 12 remaining qualifying spots to be allocated at the discretion of the Championship Committee which will take into account the relative strengths of the tours of Africa, Asia, Australasia, America and Europe.
In 2004, players on the Japan Tour will continue to gain exemption from RQ and LFQ in the existing manner, with the final four places coming from a current form money list that ends at the Mizuno Open.
Source - The Open
