Martin Laird wins Turnberry


Open place at Texas qualifier

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R&A
26 May 2009, West Plano, Texas, USA: The USA’s Matt Kuchar has earned a fifth visit to the Open Championship after posting a 13 under-par total of 129 to finish at the head of the field after 36 holes of the Queens Course at Gleneagles Country Club, West Plano, Texas.
Seven other players have also secured their places at the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry this July.
“I practised here on Tuesday and my caddie is from here,” said Kuchar, the 1997 US Amateur champion. “Course knowledge only takes you so far. It really helps if you hit it where you’re aiming. Fortunately, I’ve been hitting it really well.”
Turnberry was one of many courses Kuchar played in 1999 when he was part of the United States Walker Cup team that visited Great Britain that year.
“I’m excited to go back,” said the 30-year-old. “It’s a spectacular venue. I’ve never made a cut there (in four starts) but I sure do enjoy going and giving it the good old American try.”
Fellow American, Jeff Overton, finished one stroke behind Kuchar at 11-under-par. The 25-year-old, who will celebrate his birthday this week, played the eight par-5 holes in a combined 10 under-par with three eagles, four birdies and one par.
“I missed two five-footers and had three balls in the water but I was able to recover really well,” said Overton, who played at the 2008 Open championship after winning the qualifier last year in Michigan.
“I really don’t think I could play any better. Everything else was going my way. I made a couple of 15-footers from nowhere.”
Finishing in a group of six at 10 under-par, Davis Love III has secured a 23rd consecutive start at the Open championship after finishing in the first group of the day and waiting for two hours to see if he would earn one of the eight Turnberry places on offer.
“I’m a little disappointed not to get it in lower the way I drove it,” said Love. “It’s my favourite major – the way they set up the course and the tradition. It’s certainly the one where I feel like I have a real good chance to be competitive.”
Joining Love at 10 under was Scotland’s Martin Laird (pictured above) who will play in his first Open championship just 45 minutes away from where he grew up in Glasgow.
“I’ve never even played a professional event in Scotland,” said Laird. “I’ve only played the Nationwide and PGA Tour. This is going to be great.”
Completing the list of successful players were Swedes, Fredrik Jacobson and Richard S Johnson, New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson and the USA’s James Driscoll.
FINAL RESULTS
Par 142 (2x71)
1 KUCHAR, Matt (US) 63 66 129 Qualified
2 OVERTON, Jeff (US) 64 67 131 Qualified
T3 LOVE, Davis (US) 67 65 132 Qualified
T3 JOHNSON, Richard S (Sweden) 65 67 132 Qualified.
T3 DRISCOLL, James (US) 67 65 132 Qualified.
T3 WILKINSON, Tim (New Zealand) 65 67 132 Qualfied.
T3 JACOBSON, Fredrik (Sweden) 68 64 132 Qualified.
T3 LAIRD, Martin (Scotland) 67 65 132 Qualified.
T9 MOORE, Ryan (US) 69 64 133.
T9 CHOPRA, Daniel (Sweden) 67 66 133
T9 CRANE, Ben (US) 68 65 133.
T9 SLOCUM, Heath (US) 66 67 133.
T9 DAY, Glen (US) 69 64 133.
T9 STADLER, Kevin (US) 66 67 133.
T9 MATHIS, David (US) 67 66 133.
T16 MOLDER, Bryce (US) 67 67 134.
T16 PAMPLING, Rod (Australia) 68 66 134.
T16 CEJKA, Alex (Germany) 63 71 134.
T16 PARNEVIK, Jesper (Sweden) 64 70 134.
T16 JONES, Matthew (US) 67 67 134.
T21 SENDEN, John (Australia) 65 70 135.
T21 LEE, Danny (New Zealand) 66 69 135.
T21 STERLING, Scott (US) 69 66 135.
T21 CHALMERS, Greg (Australia) 68 67 135
T25 DELAET, Graham (Canada) 68 68 136
T25 MARINO, Steve (US) 68 68 136.
T25 KAMTE, James (South Africa) 69 67 136.
T25 GARRIGUS, Robert (US) 65 71 136.
T29 GOYDOS, Paul (US) 68 69 137.
T29 PALMER, Ryan (US) 66 71 137
T29 MCCARRON, Scott (US) 65 72 137.
T29 HAAS, Hunter (US) 70 67 137.
T29 WI, Charlie (Korea) 67 70 137.
T34 GREEN, Nathan (Australia) 71 67 138.
T34 KNOST, Colt (US) 72 66 138.
T34 GOGGIN, Mathew (Australia) 66 72 138.
T34 POINTS, D A (US) 64 74 138
T34 SURBER, Russell (US) 71 67 138.
T34 JONES, Kent (US) 67 71 138.
T34 McNEILL, George (US) 68 70 138.
T41 BARLOW, Craig (US) 73 69.
T41 THOMPSON, Nicholas (US) 69 70 139.
T41 MERRICK, John (US) 69 70 139.
T41 PURDY, Ted (US) 67 72 139.
T41 LEON, Tyler (US) 70 69 139.
T41 WEBBER, Kane (Australia) 67 72 139.
T41 BECKMAN, Cameron (US) 71 68 139
T41 STREELMAN, Kevin (US) 68 71 139.
T41 DE JONGE, Brendon (Zimbabwe) 67 72 139
T50 ROLLINS, John (US) 70 70 140.
T50 AUSTIN, Woody (US) 66 74.
T50 BRADFORD, George (US) 66 74.
T50 EVERY, Matt (US) 70 70 140.
T50 PETROVIC, Tim (US) 70 70 140.
T55 ADAMONIS, Brad (US) 72 69 141.
T55 PARR, Andrew (Canada) 71 70 141.
T55 PERNICE JR, Tom (US) 72 69 141.
T55 YANAGISAWA, Will (US) 71 70 141.
T59 HENSBY, Mark (Australia) 71 71 142.
T59 JOHNSON, Tom (US) 70 72 142.
T59 LEANEY, Stephen (Australia) 72 70 142.
62 KIM, Daniel (US) 74 69 143.
T63 KRESGE, Cliff (US) 68 76 144.
T63 ALLAN, Steve (Australia) 72 72 144.
65 RODRIGUEZ, Anthony (US) 72 74 146.
66 ALKER, Steven (New Zealand) 74 74 148.
67 O'HERN, Nick (Australia) 74 75 149.
68 KILLEEN, J J (US) 70 80 150.