Talkin Sport - AUSTRALASIANS LOOKING TO BREAK RECORD AT 2007 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

The dust has hardly settled at the Oakmont Country Club after the US Open but already 17 Australasians are gearing up for this year’s third Major, THE OPEN Championship to be held at Carnoustie in Scotland from July 19-22.

The Australasian contingent already has an outstanding representation and can look to trying to break the record high 25 that was created last year, when a further 35 players line up at International Final Qualifying (IFQ) next Monday July 2. IFQ will be held in both America and Europe and will be followed by Regional Qualifying at 15 sites across the UK on Wednesday July 4. (Regional Qualifying at Royal Dublin will be played on July 3 2007).

Those players already in the field are:

Robert Allenby - World Top 50 as at week 22 (June 3)
Stuart Appleby -World Top 50 and First 20 on Official Money List of the US PGA TOUR for 2006.
Aaron Baddeley - World Top 50 as at week 22 (June 3)
Ben Bunny – IFQ Australasia
Michael Campbell – US Open Champion for 2003-2007
Peter Fowler – IFQ Australasia
David Gleeson – IFQ Asia
Adam Groom – IFQ Asia
Scott Lay***** – IFQ Australasia
Won Joon Lee – IFQ Asia
Geoff Ogilvy – World Top 50, US Open Champion for 2003-2007, First 20 on Official Money List of the US PGA TOUR for 2006
Nick O’Hern - World Top 50, First two and anyone tying for 2nd place on the 2006 Australasian Tour Order of Merit
Rod Pampling - World Top 50 as at week 22 (June 3), First 20 on Official Money List of the US PGA TOUR for 2006
Terry Pilkadaris – IFQ Africa
Ewan Porter – IFQ Australasia
Adam Scott – First 10 and anyone tying for 10th place in the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, World Top 50 as at week 22 (June 3), First 20 on Official Money List of the US PGA TOUR for 2006
Paul Sheehan – The Japan Open Champion for 2006

Looking to join them from IFQ in the US are Steve Elkington, Mathew Goggin, Mark Hensby, Peter Lonard, Jarrod Lyle, John Senden, Nathan Green, Andrew Buckle, Stephen Leaney, Scott Hend, Kane Webber, Michael Sim, Paul Gow, Steve Allan and Marc Leishman who will line up at Oakland Hills in Michigan where 12 players from a field of 120 will directly qualify into THE OPEN Championship.

Across the Atlantic, an additional ten Australasians will be competing for 12 more positions at IFQ at Sunningdale in England. They are European Tour regulars Marcus Fraser, Richard Green, Brett Rumford, Peter O’Malley, Wade Ormsby, Peter Senior, Matthew Millar, David Bransdon, Simon Nash and Andrew Tampion.

Two days later a further nine Australasian players will play in Regional Qualifying On July 4, where 1600 players will compete to earn places at Local Final Qualifying to be held on Monday July 9 and Tuesday July 10 at Downfield, Monifieth, Montrose and Panmure. Those nine players are: Patrick Fairweather & Shaun Malone (Gog Magog), Bradley Smith (a), Darryl Sando (Effingham), Troy Kennedy, Nathan Main (Royal Ashdown Forest), David Knudsen (Old Ford Manor) and Ben Loughrey (a) (Minchinhampton). Paul Padagas is the lone aussie who will play at Royal Dublin on July 3.

The starting field for each LFQ will be 96 players, and there will be three qualification places from each venue directly into THE OPEN Championship.

The 2007 OPEN Championship will be held at Carnoustie from July 19-22. Every one of the top 50 players in the Official World Ranking will line up with more than 90 of the top 100 to be in the starting field of 156.

Tiger Woods is the defending champion.