Wright, Wood and Geary win IFQ

Australasian PGA Tour | 2009 British Open International Final Qualifying | Round Two | 10 Feb 2009

Australians Tim Wood and Michael Wright along with Kiwi Josh Geary are headed to the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry in July after taking the top three positions at International Final Qualifying at Kingston Heath in Melbourne today.

Wood and Geary finished on top of the table with totals of four under 140, one shot ahead of Wright who took the third place on offer. It was a nervous wait particularly for Wright as veteran Peter Senior threatened all afternoon. Senior finished the morning rounds on three under, and had a rocky ride home. He was two under at 17, needing a birdie to force the play-off, but could only manage par on 18, giving Wright the chance to compete in his second OPEN Championship.

“I was alot more nervous this time around because I had to wait and it went down to the wire,” said 34 year old Wright who qualified easily in 2006, finishing three shots clear of the field on nine under.

“I’m really excited. The conditions were really strong this afternoon, especially when the wind got up, but it was one of those days where the putts dropped when I needed them to.”

Wright finished with rounds of 69 and 72 to finish at three under for the day, one shot behind the tied first place getters and now first time Open Champion contenders Tim Wood and Josh Geary.

Rounds of 71 and 69 saw local talent Wood finish atop the table alongside Geary. The 27 year old came to prominence at the Australian Open in December where his unorthodox pre-shot routine was described by some in the media as looking like a “wounded seagull.” Whatever the description, it worked for Wood as he finished a creditable T11 at Royal Sydney, just weeks after claiming his first professional title at the NSW PGA Championship.

He had a two hour wait today to see if he would get through, and whilst he had time to soak up the thought, it hadn’t quite hit him that he was headed for the games oldest Championship.

“I don’t know if it has sunk in yet,” said Wood who shot rounds of 71 and 69 to equal Geary. “I feel like I am going to wake up and say, damn that was a great dream, I qualified for The Open!”

Wood will have some big tournament experience when he tees off at the Johnnie Walker Classic next week before playing the Nationwide Tour co-sanctioned Moonah Classic, HSBC NZ PGA Championship and Michael Hill NZ Open on the Australasian Tour.

For 24-year-old Josh Geary, he also claims the honour of being the first Kiwi to qualify through Australasian Tour School since IFQ began in 2004.

Geary, from Tauranga finished T22 at the 2008 Moonah Classic and finished the season with a T24 at the Australian Open in Royal Sydney, He played ten events on the Canadian Tour in 2008 where he won the Saskatchewan Open, birdying the final hole and closing with a 66 to claim the title by one shot.

Geary said without a doubt qualifying for The Open was the biggest thing to happen to him in his golfing career but like Wood, he needed time for it to sink in.

“It’s pretty sweet, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet, I’m still pinching myself!” said Geary who revealed that this was the first qualifying event he had ever been successful at.

“I have been working really hard with my coach James Cupa back in Auckland on my swing and I really felt like I hit my irons well today. I felt like I was really hitting some form and it looks like things really came together just at the right time for me.”

For Geary, it will not only be his first Open Championship but his first trip to Europe when he heads to Scotland in July. Like Wood, he will play the next four events on the Australasian Tour before heading back to Canada.

The 2009 Open Championship will be held at Turnberry in Scotland from July 16-19.

Source – PGA Tour

Discuss this article in our forums