SIMON KHAN LEADS US OPEN QUALIFIERS AT WALTON HEATH

NEWS RELEASE BY EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

By STEVE TODD
Simon Khan put his play-off defeat in the BMW PGA Championship behind him to secure one of the 12 spots on offer in the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath today..

Khan admitted he had a sleepless night after losing to Italian Matteo Manassero on the fourth extra hole at Wentworth in The European Tour’s flagship event on Sunday.

But he showed few side-effects in the wake of that disappointment as he led the 94 hopefuls competing in the 36 hole qualifying event for next month’s US Open Championship at Merion Golf Club.

The 40 year old followed an opening round of 67 on the Old Course with a 70 on the New Course for a seven under par total of 137, finishing one stroke clear of Englishman Paul Casey and South African Jaco Van Zyl.

After birdieing the first two holes, Khan bogeyed the fifth before picking up another shot on the eighth. He then made back-to-back bogeys immediately after the turn, before hitting back with a superb run of three consecutive birdies on the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th holes.

Although he dropped a shot on the 16^th, Khan had enough left in the tank to par the closing two holes and secure his third appearance in the US Open after previously playing in 2009 and 2010.

“I’m delighted with today,” said Khan. It was tough out there with a lot of cross winds. I had a little wobble around the turn but then settled down with three birdies in a row. I dropped one on 16 but I was beginning to flag by then.

“Yesterday I did everything I could. I would not have done anything different but it didn’t work out. When I won the BMW PGA Championship there was a downside in that I shut off a little bit after reaching one of my all-time goals of winning a tournament like that.

“Hopefully, this time I can look at it the other way round and kick on from here. I don’t know a lot about Merion but it looks fantastic from the pictures I’ve seen. It looks quite tricky and a bit shorter, which hopefully will suit me.

“It will be my third US Open and I love the tournament, so it will be fantastic to go back.”

Former Ryder Cup player Casey produced the round of the day, firing a superb 64 on the New Course after an opening 74 on the Old Course to seal his place in the season’s second Major Championship.

“I played lovely today,” said Casey who is slowly returning to form after recovering from a shoulder injury. “It was the first qualifier I’ve played, so I didn’t know what to expect. We had great crowds and it was a golf course I played a lot as a kid, so I’m ecstatic to come through.

“For me, the US Open is right up there along with The Open Championship. I don’t know a lot about Merion but I’ve played a lot of US Opens and I love them. I know it is going to be tough but I’m looking forward to it.”

Van Zyl joined Casey on six under par following rounds of 71 and 67 to earn his debut in a Major Championship in Pennsylvania.

“It’s great to be playing in my first Major,” he said. “I qualified earlier in the year for the US PGA but to get in this is fantastic. I’m just going to go and enjoy and not have any expectations.”

Morten Ørum Madsen finished fourth on five under par, while Australian Marcus Fraser and Sweden’s Peter Hedblom, who finished tied 11^th in the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst, also ensured their spots on four under par, along with 22 year old rookie Eddie Pepperell of England.

Pepperell continued the form he showed in finishing tied sixth in the BMW PGA Championship at the weekend and will now continue his progression at the top level by making his debut in a Major Championship at Merion.

“I didn’t feel too tired today, which I thought I might have done after Wentworth,” he said. “I putted well again and just kept trying to do the things I did last week.

“It’s a massive tournament and it’s another opportunity to play at the highest level, which is something I’ve not done before. It will be a great experience for me. I enjoy tough courses and tough conditions so hopefully I can play well. It’s the next step up for me.”

Madsen was the last man on the course and his success meant a six-man play-off  for the final five spots, involving 2012 European Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal, Argentine Estanislao Goya, Scotland’s Chris Doak, Swede Rikard Karlberg and the English pair of John Parry and David Howell.

At the first play-off hole, Olazábal, Howell and Parry all made birdie to progress, Parry securing a Major Championship debut and Olazábal and Howell earning their first appearances at the US Open since 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Olazábal said: “I’m very pleased to be going to Merion. It’s not very often you are involved in a six-man play-off so I’m delighted to get through and get a place in the US Open.”

Howell said: “I’m delighted to get through. They were generous odds in the play-off but someone has to miss out, so thankfully I made it through.

“Things have been going better for me the last year or so but you want to be playing in the Major Championship. From what I hear Merion is a brilliant course and hopefully I can do well.”

Doak, Goya and Karlberg all made pars on the subsequent two additional holes before Karlberg struck a tree with his tee shot on the fourth and could only make bogey, meaning the Swede was the unfortunate man to miss out.

Both Goya and Doak will play in the US Open Championship for the first time, with Doak also making his debut in any of the four Majors after coming through 40 holes at Walton Heath.

The Scot said: “I’m really excited about it. I’ve got one of the golden tickets and it is fantastic. I actually lost in a qualifying play-off for The Open Championship last year, so it’s nice to actually get to a Major.”

 

Results from Walton Heath

Par 144 (2x72)

137 Simon Khan (Eng) 67 70.

138 Jaco Van Zyl (SAf) 71 67, Paul Casey (Eng) 74 64.
139 Morten Ørum Madsen (Den) 67 72.
140 Peter Hedblom (Swe) 67 73, Eddie Pepperell (Eng) 70 70, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 69.
141 (after play-off) John Parry (Eng) 66 75, David Howell (Eng) 68 73, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 68 73, Estanislao Goya (Arg) 69 72, Chris Doak (Sco) 71 70.
DID NOT QUALIFY
141 (beaten in play-off) Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 70 71 (1st alternate).
142 J B Hansen (Den) 74 68 (2nd alternate), Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 72 70, Lee Slattery (Eng) 73 69, Simon Dyson (Eng) 72 70, Chris Paisley (Eng) 68 74, Espen Kofstad (Nor) 71 71, Steve Webster (Eng) 68 74, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 71 71.
143 Peter Uihlein (US) 73 70, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69 74.
144 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 67 77, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 73, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 73, David Drysdale (Sco) 71 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 71 73, Romain Wattel (Fra) 71 73, Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 74 70, Thomas Aiken (SAf) 74 70, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 72 72, Robert Rock (Eng) 76 68, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 77, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 72, David Horsey (Eng) 70 74.
145 Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 73 72, Marc Warren (Sco) 71 74, Richard Green (Aus) 72 73, Justin Walters (SAf) 71 74, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 74 71, Ross Fisher (Eng) 73 72.
146 Richard Finch (Eng) 78 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 73, Andy Sullivan (Eng) 77 69, Thomas Levet (Fra) 75 71.
147 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 78 69, Daniel Popovic (Aus) 70 77, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 69 78.
148 Andrea Harto (Den) 75 73, Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 77, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 75, Max Kieffer (Ger) 75 73.
149 Tom Lewis (Eng) 74 75, Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 71 78, Matthew Baldwin (Eng) 74 75
150 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 70 80.
152 Gaganjett Bhullar (Ind) 78 74, Billy Hemstock (Eng) 73 79, Peter Lawrie (Ire) 72 80, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 76 76, Scott Henry (Sco) 74 78.
153 Rhys Davies (Wal) 73 80.
154 Gareth Maybin (NIr) 81 73

DID NOT COMPLETE TWO ROUNDS
Paul WARING ENG 73 RT
Darren FICHARDT RSA 72 RT
Alexandre KALEKA FRA 71 RT
Emiliano GRILLO ARG 76 RT
Shane LOWRY IRL 75 RT
Scott JAMIESON SCO 78 RT
Dawie VAN DER WALT RSA 79 RT
Oscar FLOREN SWE 78 RT
Jeev Milkha SINGH IND 75 RT
Fredrik ANDERSSON HED SWE 73 RT
Victor DUBUISSON FRA 69 RT
Mark TULLO CHI 79 RT
Garth MULROY RSA 76 RT
Ricardo SANTOS POR 76 RT
Eduardo DE LA RIVA ESP 76 RT
Lorenzo GAGLI ITA 77 RT
Johan EDFORS SWE 77 RT
Terry PILKADARIS AUS 77 RT
Tommy FLEETWOOD ENG 75 RT
Felipe AGUILAR CHI 72 RT
Oliver FISHER ENG 73 RT
Alvaro QUIROS ESP 79 RT
Fabrizio ZANOTTI PAR 77 RT
Shiv KAPUR IND 74 RT
Kristoffer BROBERG SWE 75 RT
Julien QUESNE FRA 77 RT
Wen-chong LIANG CHN 79 RT
92 Pablo MARTIN  ESP RT
Ross McGOWAN ENG RT
Richie RAMSAY SCO RT

Steve Todd

Press Officer

European Tour