Colin Montgomerie targeting place at The 145TH Open Championship through Final Qualifying
Former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie is among 288 players aiming to join the world’s best golfers at The 145th Open in July at Final Qualifying next week.
Montgomerie will compete for a spot at Gailes Links, alongside a clutch of young Scottish amateurs, including last week’s finalist at the Amateur Championship, Robert MacIntyre. Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson and Alasdair McDougall, who tied top with Iceland’s Andri Bjornsson at Panmure at Regional Qualifying, are also in action at the Ayrshire club.
Woburn, Hillside and Royal Cinque Ports are the three other courses to host Final Qualifying on Tuesday 28 June. Each golfer will play two rounds of 18 holes with the top 12 golfers earning a place at Royal Troon.
Former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari will try to gain his place at Royal Cinque Ports and will be joined in Kent by four-time winner on the European Tour Gregory Bourdy.
Daniel Poulter, brother of Ian, and Irish amateur Paul McBride, have been drawn in the same group at Woburn. Paul Dunne, who led The Open after the third round last year at St Andrews as an amateur, will also try to secure a return to golf’s oldest Championship in Buckinghamshire.
Polish amateur Adrian Meronk will return from Arnold Palmer Cup duty to play for a place at The Open at Hillside Golf Club. The number five in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Jack Hume, has also been drawn to play at the Southport course. The Irishman, who has also been selected to play in the 2016 St Andrews Trophy match later in July, was part of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team that defeated the USA at Royal Lytham & St Annes last September.
Details of the draws for each of the four Final Qualifying venues can be found here;