Russell Knox, Julian Suri and Marcus Kinhult all qualified for The Open thanks to high finishes at the HNA French Open.
Knox stormed from the back of the pack to punch his ticket to Carnoustie, shooting 6-under 65 on a day when most of the leaders struggled to break par. The Scot ended up in a tie for second after starting the final round 10 shots off the lead, and he’ll now play for a major in his home country in two weeks.
Knox will play The Open for the fourth straight year, having missed the cut in 2015 and 2017 and having tied for 30th two years ago at Royal Troon.
The Open Qualifying Series
Full-field scores from the French Open
Both Suri and Kinhult will take a major championship berth as a bittersweet consolation prize after letting a breakthrough victory slip away. Suri stood in the final fairway at 8 under, one shot better than Alex Noren’s eventual winning score, but he pushed his last approach into the water and ultimately made a double bogey to finish in a tie for second alongside Knox and Chris Wood.
The 27-year-old American will make his second Open appearance after missing the cut last year at Royal Birkdale.
Kinhult led the tournament after both 36 and 54 holes, but he made a triple bogey on the fourth hole and added a double on No. 15 after getting caught up in the fescue. Kinhult signed for a 5-over 76 to drop into a tie for fifth, but the 21-year-old Swede will now make his first-ever start in a major this month at Carnoustie.
The top four finishers not otherwise exempt from the top 12 at the Quicken Loans National will also qualify for The Open, while the Open Qualifying Series will continue next week at both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the PGA Tour’s annual stop at The Greenbrier.
Source: Internet
