One last chance to join 13 other Australasian Open contenders
The Open Trophy – The Claret Jug
With just two events remaining before the final field for the 150th Open Championship is settled, 13 Australians and New Zealanders are already confirmed to tee it up at St Andrews beginning on July 14th.
This week’s PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship in the USA and the DP World Tour’s Scottish Open provide several Australasians one last chance of gaining a start in the historic event for those not otherwise qualified but, either way, Australasian golf will be well represented.
Peter Thompson (1955) and Kel Nagle (1960) are the Australasian golfers to have won an Open Championship at St Andrews but Thomson also finished runner-up there in 1957 during his remarkable run at the Open Championship between 1952 and 1958 when he finished either first or second in seven consecutive Open Championships.
New Zealand’s Simon Owen also finished runner-up behind Jack Nicklaus at St Andrews in 1978 after leading through 16 holes on the final day and Marc Leishman lost a playoff to Zach Johnson the last time the Open was played at the home of golf in 2015.
In world ranking order, Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Ryan Fox, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Jason Scrivener, Min Woo Lee, Brad Kennedy, Jason Scrivener, Anthony Quayle, Jed Morgan, Dimi Papdatos and Ben Campbell are the 13 from this part of the world to earn their right through various means to play such an historic Open Championship.
Smith, Scott, Herbert and Leishman are in because of their world ranking, Fox first gained his start via the Dutch Open a few weeks ago although he is now inside the top 50 in the world, Lee and Scrivener because of their finishes inside the top 30 in the DP World Tour rankings in 2021, Papadatos, Campbell and Griffin courtesy of their finishes at the Vic Open, Quayle and Kennedy via their efforts at an event on the Japan Tour and Jed Morgan as a result of finishing atop the PGA Tour of Australasia money list.
