Jan 16, 2017: Four players will qualify for The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale when The Open Qualifying Series arrives in Singapore this week.
The SMBC Singapore Open, hosted by Sentosa Golf Club and jointly sanctioned between the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour, is part of the Series for the first time in 2017.
Two-time Champion Golfer of the Year Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, and defending champion Younghan Song are all scheduled to play in Singapore’s national Open. Korea’s Song recorded a narrow victory over then world number one Jordan Spieth in a dramatic Monday play-off to win the 2016 title.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “Over the past three years, The Open Qualifying Series has created an exciting build-up to the Championship as players around the world bid to secure their places in The Open.
“We are delighted to bring the Series to the SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club for the very first time and we are looking forward to seeing what promises to be an exciting championship unfold.”
Originally offering two places, the SMBC Singapore Open will now allow four players to secure a place in golf’s most international major championship.
Dominic Wall, Director – Asia-Pacific at The R&A, said, “We have reviewed our plans for The Open Qualifying Series with the Asian Tour after some changes to their schedule and have increased the number of places on offer in Singapore this year from two to four.
“We look forward to welcoming the four players to Royal Birkdale and to continuing to work with the Asian Tour on the qualifying process for The Open in the future.”
Four players who finish in the top twelve and ties, who are not already exempt, will earn places in the field at Royal Birkdale, 16-23 July 2017.
Sentosa Golf Club, a previous venue for International Final Qualifying for The Open, is the site of The R&A’s new Asia-Pacific office, and will host The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, co-founded by The R&A, the Masters Tournament and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, in 2018.
The R&A Media Release
