The countdown to the British Open, from an Asian standpoint at least, starts next week when 67 regional pros tee off at the International Final Qualifying.
The 36-hole event is being held at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club, which is on the island of the same name that houses the headquarters of the Asian Tour.
There are four places available for July’s Open at Royal Birkdale in England.
The Indian contingent will be particularly strong with world number 70 Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur leading the charge while Thailand’s Prom Meesawat and Chinnarat Phadungsil also in the line-up.
Joining them are Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing, who qualified for last year’s Open, his compatriot Mardan Mamat, Filipino Juvic Pangunsan and Japanese duo Tomohiro Kondo and Keiichiro Fukabori. Kyi Hla Han, the Asian Tour’s executive chairman said in a press release:
“This year’s IFQ will see another strong line-up from the Asian Tour. With the standards of our players improving every year, we hope to see our members contending at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July.â€
The Royal and Ancient’s decision to continue with the qualifier in Singapore is another feather in the cap for the Serapong golf course, which hosts the $5 million Singapore Open, the richest tournament on the Asian Tour calendar.
No Asian player had won the British Open, or any other major (unless, of course, you consider half-Thai Tiger Woods and Fijian-of-Indian-descent Vijay Singh to be Asian).
However, Royal Birkdale was the scene of a near-miss for Asia when, in 1971, Taiwan’s Mr Lu, with his now-famous pork-pie hat, finished in second place.
