No success for Australasians at IFQ

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 British Open | General | 01 Jul 2008

With International Final Qualifying at various venues completed overnight, no further Australasians have earned a start at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Brilliant New Zealand amateur, Danny Lee, went the closest of the Australasians, losing a five man playoff for the one remaining place available at his venue at the TPC of Michigan in Dearborn just outside of Detroit.

Just two days after his 7th place finish at the Dogwood International near Atlanta, Lee’s efforts were brilliant, more especially his morning round of 67 but he was unable to claim a place in what would have been his first major championship.

Also at the TPC of Michigan, Steve Elkington produced a superb morning round of 7 under par 65 and with 5 under appearing to be the score required, he could still shoot over par in round two and be on his way across the Atlantic.

Unfortunately for Elkington things fell apart in the afternoon, a round of 75, including an agonising bogey at his final hole, costing him a place in the playoff.

At that same venue Scott Hend, David McKenzie, John Senden and Stephen Leaney all missed out.

At the Dearborn Golf Club, Brett Rumford was the closest of the Australasians to getting through when he finished two short of the 9 under total needed to make a playoff for one of the final few spots at his venue. Matt Jones, Peter Lonard, Mathew Goggin, David Lutterus and Kane Webber made up the rest of the Aussies to miss their chance at this venue.

At the Sunningdale Golf Club in Surrey, England, eighteen places were up for grabs but New Zealander Mark Brown was the closest, finishing just one shot out of a playoff for one of the final two spots.

Peter O’Malley, who like many others raced across the English Channel after yesterday’s final round at the French Open, finished four shots out of the playoff with Matthew Zions, Marcus Fraser, Peter Senior and Matthew Millar also below the cut line.

The one remaining chance for additional Australasians to make the field at Birkdale comes at Final Local qualifying at three venues near Royal Birkdale next Monday and Tuesday (July 7th and 8th) although for those who have already tried in IFQ, their chance of playing at Royal Birkdale has gone.