Fredrik Jacobson wins ticket to

Open with 2nd at Congressional

Fredrik Jacobson just missed out on qualifying for the Open at Sunningdale last week .... boarded a plane for America ... on Sunday he clinched a place at Royal Birkdale by finishing second in the AT&T National at the Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland.
“I think yesterday and today were the first two days I really felt refreshed," said Fredrik who continued his mad dash, this time back home to Sweden.
Jacobson shot a five-under 65 on Sunday to finish two strokes behind Anthony Kim, a second-place result that earned him a player's ticket to the Open as the highest-finishing player in the top five not already in the major's field.
“I've been excited with my play the last couple of weeks, and I'd like the chance to get in there at Royal Birkdale and do something there as well,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson's hesitance to assume he was into the Open field at Royal Birkdale was understandable. There were still players on the course at Congressional Country Club who had a chance to pass him on the leader board at the AT&T National — even if those odds were minuscule.
Jacobson couldn't wait. After completing his round shortly after 2 p.m., he needed to hurry to catch a 5 p.m. flight back to Europe. But at some point — presumably before he made it on his plane but perhaps afterward — he would have learned the Open invite was secure.
It was unlikely until the last two weeks. Jacobson didn't have a top-10 finish all year until, with the help of a new driver and some work with his coach, he tied for ninth at the Buick Open the week before the AT&T National.
He followed it up by going 37 holes at the Open qualifier at Sunningdale, losing out on a berth in a play-off. It left him weary heading into the AT&T National, and he produced a ho-hum 67-72 (and a spot in the middle of the pack) heading into the weekend.
“I've actually been pretty tired all week after that one,” Jacobson said of the qualifying. “I got in at 3 in the morning and fell asleep. I think yesterday and today were the first two days I really felt refreshed.”
It was certainly noticeable. Jacobson shot 66 on Saturday, which got him to 5 under for the tournament. Still, that left him five strokes out of first and with plenty of other golfers in between.
But he then emerged from a large scrum to finish runner-up on Sunday, producing results both off the tee and on the green to continue his recent surge.
“I haven't been matching all the areas,” Jacobson said. “I've either been driving it well and putting it poorly or driving it well and not putting too well.”
It finally clicked on the back nine Sunday. Jacobson made the turn at 5 under and was little more than an afterthought with most of the contenders bunched up behind Kim, who held a tenuous lead at 10 under at the time.
First came a birdie at No. 12. Then Jacobson rattled off four straight birdies between Nos. 14 and 17, surging past more than a dozen players who either struggled, stayed in place or were just done for the day.
“I didn't birdie any holes on the side I finished up today until I played through that side the third day,” said Jacobson, who matched his best finish in 114 starts on tour. “I really got it back on that side. It was a fun way to finish.”