Goggin, Pampling in to Open Championship
European PGA Tour | 2009 British Open | General | 13 Jul 2009
Aussies Mat Goggin and Rod Pampling are the latest call ups into THE OPEN Championship field swelling the Australasian numbers to play this week at Turnberry to 17.
35-year-old Mathew Goggin has taken the place of fellow Australasian Kiwi Tim Wilkinson who was forced to withdraw from the Championship due to thumb surgery. In a blow to Wilkinson, a US Tour regular who was to make his maiden appearance at THE OPEN Championship after qualifying in May, he is still recovering from surgery and has not played on the US Tour since he missed the cut at the St Jude Classic last month.
It will be Goggin’s fourth appearance at the Open after he played in 2003, 2004 and 2006. He finished T46 in 2003 and missed the cut on the following two outings.
Pampling’s inclusion comes as the next highest player in the world rankings to have entered The Championship after none of the non-exempt players finished in the top five of the Barclays Scottish Open on the weekend.
It will be the popular Queenslander’s seventh appearance at THE OPEN Championship.
A decade ago at Carnoustie, he made Championship history when he led after an opening 71 and then missed the cut after a second round 86.
“Thankfully I’ve been back there and rectified that,” he said after finishing 20th at the Scottish Open on the weekend. Pampling has made the cut at THE OPEN on four of the six occasions. He was 27th three years ago.
“I was trying to play my way in this week. That didn’t work out, but I knew I’d become first reserve and now I’m in.”
Goggin and Pampling now join Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Mark Brown (NZL), Michael Campbell (NZL), Daniel Gaunt, Josh Geary (NZL), Richard Green, Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy, Terry Pilkadaris, Adam Scott, David Smail (NZL), Tim Stewart, Michael Wright and Tim Wood as the contingent who will fly the flag from Down Under at the Open which will be played at The Ailsa Championship Course at Turnberry Scotland starting Thursday.
Source – PGA Tour
