Canadians Bingham And Bateman Come Up Short At British Open Qualifying
Last Updated on Thursday, 27 March 2008 14:44 Thursday, 27 March 2008 14:31
Red Deer's Brett Bingham Finished Just Five Shots Back But It Wasn't Enough In His Attempt To Qualify For The British Open At Royal Birkdale This July - Photo Courtesy Canadian Press
SINGAPORE - Canadians Brett Bingham and Ahmad Bateman came up short in their bid to earn qualifying spots for the British Open on Wednesday.
Bingham, of Red Deer, Alta., finished in a tie for 15th at the two-round event while Bateman, of Windsor, Ont., was tied for 22nd. Malaysia's Danny Chia, who played at the 2005 Open at St. Andrews, shot his second straight 3-under 69 to win the tournament.
He finished at 6-under 138 and qualified along with Australian Adam Blyth, Singapore's Lam Chih Bing and Angelo Que of the Philippines. The quartet will play at the British Open at Royal Birkdale, England, in July.
Blyth fired six birdies in a flawless round to finish with the day's lowest score of 66, while Lam and Que prevailed in a playoff against Japan's Tomohiro Kondo after the trio were tied at 140.
Bingham finished five shots off the lead after closing with a 1-under 71. Bateman shot a 70 to finish seven strokes behind. Chia had four birdies and one bogey in his final round.
"I didn't putt well but I struck the ball good," Chia said. "I played within myself and made two birdies coming back when I needed them the most. It's going to be very exciting to go back to The Open. It always feels good to be in the same event with the world's best golfers."
Blyth, 26, secured his first appearance in a major tournament. He carded a 73 on Tuesday. "The putts just went in today," Blyth said. "I played scrappy yesterday but managed to get myself into position this morning. I'm stoked to get into my first major."
Lam, who played in his first Open at Carnoustie last year, shot a 68 before his birdie on the first playoff hole. "I was so nervous and standing over the putt, my hands were just shaking," he said. "Thank God it's over. I can't wait to get back to the Open."
Que and Kondo contested four playoff holes, before the Filipino sank a 40-foot birdie putt to become the first Philippines representative at the British Open since Frankie Minoza in 1998.
By Inside Golf Staff
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