Prayad shoots down ticket for fifth Open
Play
Thai veteran Prayad Marksaeng earned his fifth entry to the British Open yesterday after shooting a final-day best round of eight-under-par 64 for second place in International Final Qualifying (IFQ) at the Amata Spring Country Club.
Anirban Lahiri of India earned his Major debut with a final round five-under-par 67 to take the first of four Open tickets ahead of Prayad, 46, Kodai Ichihara of Japan and Mardan Mamat of Singapore. Mamat sealed the final ticket after winning in a three-way play-off against compatriot Lam Chih-bing and Jonathan Moore of the US.
Prayad, a six-time Asian Tour winner, bounced back from an opening 73 courtesy of a new driver and some hot putting that saw him sink a monster 50-feet birdie putt from the edge of the eighth green.
“I was very lucky today because I sank all my long putts. Everything just clicked for me from my driving to my putting. It was just one of those good days. It feels great to qualify for The Open again and this time, I’ll be aiming to make the cut for the first time in my career,” said Prayad, who shot a
flawless round highlighted by six straight birdies from the sixth hole.
“I’m getting older and might not get a better chance to qualify for The Open. It is always an advantage playing at home and I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to play in a Major championship,” he added.
Scores after the second and final round of the IFQ Asia yesterday at the par-72, 7441-yard Amata Spring CC course (a- denotes amateur):
135 - Anirban Lahiri (IND) 68-67.
137 - Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 73-64.
138 - Kodai Ichihara (JPN) 69-69.
140 - Lam Chih Bing (SIN) 71-69, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 71-69, Jonathan Moore (USA) 68-72.
141 - Arnond Vongvanij (THA) 72-69, Scott Hend (AUS) 71-70, Prom Meesawat (THA) 71-70.
142 - Guido van der Valk (NED) 73-69, Javi Colomo(ESP) 74-68, Kunal Bhasin (AUS) 70-72, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 70-72, Hideki Matsuyama (am, JPN) 69-73.
143 - Himmat Rai (IND) 73-70, Park Ju-hyuk (KOR) 77-66, Scott Barr (AUS) 69-74.
