09 January 2012 20:54 GMT

Qualification for The Open 2012 begins with Australasian International Final Qualifying at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club.

A field comprising 46 of the continent’s finest players will compete over two days (10-11 January) at the famous Sandbelt course for three places at this year’s Open Championship, to be played at Royal Lytham & St Annes from 15-22 July.

Well known Australian veterans will join some of the game’s best young players to take on two of last year’s qualifiers and South Korea’s Jin Jeong over 36 holes for the coveted places.

Melbourne-based Jeong turned pro in 2011 after a successful amateur career that saw him become the first Asian to win the Amateur Championship as well as the Silver Medal for low amateur in a tie for 14th place at The Open 2010.

Kurt Barnes, who qualified last year alongside Matt Millar and Rick Kulacz, returns on the back of a runner-up finish at the Victorian Open but he will have to overcome rising stars including James Nitties, Matthew Griffin and Rohan Blizard.

Veterans including Craig Parry, who finished in a tie for fourth place at Carnoustie in 1999, three-time Australian PGA winner Peter Senior and double Australian Open champion Peter Lonard will call on their extensive Open experience as they bid to join the world’s best golfers at Lytham in July.

The next International Final Qualifying (IFQ) event will take place at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington, South Africa, on 18 and 19 January. That will be followed by IFQ Asia at Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand, (1-2 March), IFQ America at Gleneagles Golf & Country Club, Dallas, Texas, (21 May) and finally IFQ Europe at Sunningdale, Berkshire, (25 June).

For the draw and end of round scores from IFQ Australasia visit here.