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Drysdale among 10 players to earn British Open spots at Sunningdale

- PA Sports

SUNNINGDALE, England (PA) -- Seventeen years after he played as a marker for John Daly in the British, Open Scotland's David Drysdale will finally make his major championship debut at Turnberry next month.

European Qualifier
Leading Scores
Player Score
T1. Rafa Echenique 66-64--130
T1. Graeme Storm 62-68--130
T3. David Drysdale 65-66--131
T3. Gary Orr 68-63--131
T3. Branden Grace 65-66--131
T6. Raphael Jacquelin 64-68--132
T6. Paul Broadhurst 65-67--132
T6. Rhys Davies 65-67--132
T9. Richie Ramsey 65-68--133
T9. Oliver Fisher 66-67--133
T9. *Mark Foster 63-70--133
T9. *Taco Remkes 68-65--133
T9. *Peter Lawrie 67-66--133
T9. *Danny Willett 66-67--133
* = failed to qualify in playoff. Note: A total of 96 players participated.

Helped by the 10th hole-in-one of his career, the 34-year-old shot rounds of 65 and 66 to grab one of the 10 places on offer at the one-day, 36-hole International Final Qualifying (IFQ) tournament at Sunningdale on Monday.

"I can't wait," said Drysdale, who made it after nine previous attempts to qualify without success. "I've got the next two weeks off and I'd love to go over and have maybe a couple of games there."

As a leading local amateur in 1992, Drysdale was called on to partner first Roger Chapman and then Daly in the first group out in the third and fourth rounds when otherwise they would have played on their own.

"I was 17 and it was a big buzz," Drysdale said Monday. "It would be just great if I got to play with Daly again -- he was fantastic."

Drysdale, whose ace came on the 217-yard 10th hole of the New Course, has reason to believe that anything will be possible.

Ten years ago he was in the same qualifying event as Paul Lawrie and outscored him by six in the opening round, but then he missed out while Lawrie went on to win at Carnoustie.

At 9 under par, Drysdale finished tied for third with fellow Scot Gary Orr and South African Branden Grace, one behind England's Graeme Storm and Argentina's Rafa Echenique. Storm set a record for the New Course with his sparkling 8-under 62 in the morning.

Welshman Rhys Davies, England's Paul Broadhurst and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin were tied for sixth, and that left seven players in the playoff for the last two spots.

They were Englishmen Oliver Fisher, Mark Foster and Danny Willett, Scot Richie Ramsay, Irishman Peter Lawrie and Dutchman Taco Remkes. In the end, Ramsey and Fisher grabbed the final two spots.

Former Open runners-up Thomas Bjorn and Thomas Levet were among those who missed out. Bjorn failed to make it into the playoffs by a stroke, but Levet shot 7 too many and then was disqualified in any case for signing for the wrong score.

Shane Lowry, who last month won the Irish Open as an amateur, had his best two rounds as a professional so far, but 70 and 69 put him only 1 under.

France's Christian Cevaer, winner of the European Open two weeks ago, missed by five and Swede Niclas Fasth, runner-up in the Wales Open this weekend, by seven.

Monday's European IFQ tournament is the last in a series of IFQs staged around the globe this year as a way to give more golfers worldwide a chance to qualify their way into the British Open. The previous IFQ events were held in United States, Asia, South Africa and Australia.

Copyright 2009 PA Sport. All rights reserved.

 
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