EIGHT QUALIFIERS FROM FOUR COUNTRIES AT IFQ – AMERICA
26 May 2009, West Plano, Texas, USA: The USA’s Matt Kuchar has earned a fifth visit to The Open Championship after posting a 13 under-par total of 129 to finish at the head of the field after 36 holes of the Queens Course at Gleneagles Country Club, West Plano, Texas. Seven other players have also secured their places at the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry this July.
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“I practiced here on Tuesday and my caddie is from here,” said Kuchar, the 1997 U.S Amateur Champion. “Course knowledge only takes you so far. It really helps if you hit it where you’re aiming. Fortunately, I’ve been hitting it really well.”
Turnberry was one of many courses Kuchar played in 1999 when he was part of the USA Walker Cup team that visited Great Britain that year.
“I’m excited to go back,” said the 30-year-old. “It’s a spectacular venue. I’ve never made a cut there (in four starts) but I sure do enjoy going and giving it the good old American try.”
Fellow American, Jeff Overton, finished one stroke behind Kuchar at 11-under-par. The 25-year-old, who will celebrate his birthday this week, played the eight par-5 holes in a combined 10 under-par with three eagles, four birdies and one par.
“I missed two five-footers and had three balls in the water but I was able to recover really well,” said Overton, who played at the 2008 Open Championship after winning the qualifier last year in Michigan. “I really don’t think I could play any better. Everything else was going my way. I made a couple of 15-footers from nowhere.”
Finishing in a group of six at 10 under-par, Davis Love III has secured a 23rd consecutive start at The Open Championship after finishing in the first group of the day and waiting for two hours to see if he would earn one of the eight Turnberry places on offer.
“I’m a little disappointed not to get it in lower the way I drove it,” said Love. “It’s my favorite major – the way they set up the course and the tradition. It’s certainly the one where I feel like I have a real good chance to be competitive.”
Joining Love at 10 under was Scotland’s Martin Laird who will play in his first Open Championship just 45 minutes away from where he grew up in Glasgow.
“I’ve never even played a professional event in Scotland,” said Laird. “I’ve only played the Nationwide and PGA Tour. This is going to be great.”
Completing the list of successful players were Swedes, Fredrik Jacobson and Richard S Johnson, New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson and the USA’s James Driscoll.
FINAL RESULTS
1 KUCHAR, Matt USA 36 63 66 129 -13 Qualified
2 OVERTON, Jeff USA 36 64 67 131 -11 Qualified
T3 LOVE III, Davis USA 36 67 65 132 -10 Qualified
T3 JOHNSON, Richard S Sweden 36 65 67 132 -10 Qualified
T3 DRISCOLL, James USA 36 67 65 132 -10 Qualified
T3 WILKINSON, Tim New Zealand 36 65 67 132 -10 Qualified
T3 JACOBSON, Fredrik Sweden 36 68 64 132 -10 Qualified
T3 LAIRD, Martin Scotland 36 67 65 132 -10 Qualified
T9 MOORE, Ryan USA 36 69 64 133 -9
T9 CHOPRA, Daniel Sweden 36 67 66 133 -9
T9 CRANE, Ben USA 36 68 65 133 -9
T9 SLOCUM, Heath USA 36 66 67 133 -9
T9 DAY, Glen USA 36 69 64 133 -9
T9 STADLER, Kevin USA 36 66 67 133 -9
T9 MATHIS, David USA 36 67 66 133 -9
T16 MOLDER, Bryce USA 36 67 67 134 -8
T16 PAMPLING, Rod Australia 36 68 66 134 -8
T16 CEJKA, Alex Germany 36 63 71 134 -8
T16 PARNEVIK, Jesper Sweden 36 64 70 134 -8
T16 JONES, Matthew USA 36 67 67 134 -8