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Clarke, Westwood and Goosen sign up for Troon

12/09/2003 10:24am BST
Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood have sent in early entries for the 2004 Open Championship at Royal Troon. They are joined by South Africans Retief Goosen, the 2001 US Open champion, and Hennie Otto, who led The Open with a first round 68 at Royal St George's this year.

Clarke, whose best Open finish was in a six-way tie for third place at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2001, has three times finished second in the European Tour Order of Merit.

In 2000 he won the Accenture Match Play Championship, beating David Duval in the semi-final and Tiger Woods in the 36-hole final. He has played on three Ryder Cup teams, including the victorious sides of 1997 and 2002.

Lee Westwood, who ended Colin Montgomerie's run of seven years in the number one spot on the European Tour in 2000, returned from a lean spell with two late victories in 2003. He claimed the BMW International Open and the Dunhill Links Championship. His best Open finish was 10th place at Royal Troon in 1997 behind winner Justin Leonard. Like Darren Clarke has was a Ryder Cup team member in 1997, 1999 and 2002.

Goosen's golden year of 2001, when he won the US Open in an 18-hole play-off with Mark Brooks, also included victories in the Scottish and Madrid Opens. He finished at the top of the European Tour Order of Merit and successfully defended that title the following year.

The 2003 Open Championship was Otto's first major, and after leading the opening round he finished tied in 10th place with fellow countryman Goosen. A high-class rugby player he gave up a trial as South Africa's under-23 scrum half in favour of golf, but an operation on a back injury kept him out of play in 2002.