The Invitation To The Open Door
For Sungjae Im, Keith Mitchell And Sung Kang, The Arnold Palmer Invitational Has Led To The 148th Open
The end at Bay Hill is the beginning that leads to Royal Portrush this July for three golfers. Sungjae Im, Keith Mitchell and Sung Kang have each secured their places in The 148th Open after qualifying at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
It was the first time that the Arnold Palmer Invitational has featured in The Open Qualifying Series, opening the door
of opportunity for golfers around the world to book their place at golf’s original championship. This year’s 148th Open will be played at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019. Played since 1860 on iconic links golf courses, it is the sport’s most international major championship with qualifying events on every continent. For one week each year, the pursuit of the famous Claret Jug trophy is the focus of the sporting world, followed globally by millions of fans.
And fittingly, 2018 Champion Golfer of the Year Francesco Molinari won this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational after the Italian fired a magnificent bogey-free 64 in the final round to finish on a 12-under-par total of 276, two shots clear of runner-up Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Im will make his first appearance in
The Open after the Korean carded a final round 68 to finish in a tie for third place on a nine-under-par total of 279 with Rafa Cabrera Bello and Tommy Fleetwood, both of who were already exempt from qualifying for The Open.
The 20-year-old Im, who won twice on the Web.com Tour in 2018, recorded his third top 10 finish on the PGA TOUR this season to seal the first of three qualifying places available for Royal Portrush this week.
“I’m so happy to have got one of the spots for The Open. I really enjoyed playing in the US Open and the PGA Championship last year and now I get to play in The Open, which is great.
“I’ve never played in the UK before, I’ve only seen golf played there on television. It is going to be my first experience of links golf and I am really looking forward to it.” said Im.
Mitchell and Kang will join him at the famous Dunluce Links in July after finishing in a tie for sixth place on an eight-under-par total of 280 alongside 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year Rory Mcilroy and Matt Wallace, both of who are exempt from qualifying for The Open, leaving Mitchell and Kang to claim the two remaining qualifying places.
Mitchell earned his first PGA TOUR title at the Honda Classic and continued to enjoy a rich vein of form during the final round at Bay Hill. The 27-year-old carded eight birdies to post a 66 to book his place at Royal Portrush.
Mitchell recalled, “It’s amazing. It’s a championship I grew up watching and I love the courses and the set-up of The Open. I actually played Royal Portrush about 15 years ago with my dad. I don’t remember too much about it other than it was really tough.
“I love the traditions and history of The Open and the players that have won it. I went to Royal Troon in 2004 when Todd Hamilton won. I remember standing there on the back of the green waiting for autographs and Darren Clarke gave me his glove, I’ll never forget that.”
Kang will return to play in golf’s original championship for the third year running through The Open Qualifying Series. The four-time Korean Tour winner qualified for The Open two years running via the Quicken Loans National on the PGA TOUR, and a final round 68 ensured the 31-year-old will play at Royal Portrush later this year, “I made a big putt on the last hole to get the spot and the opportunity to play in The Open again. I’m just going to go out and enjoy the experience like I did at Royal Birkdale and Carnoustie. It will be great to play in Northern Ireland as I’ve never played golf there and I’ve heard it is beautiful. It will be a lot of fun.”
The next event in The Open Qualifying Series will be The Mizuno Open which will be played at The Royal in Japan from 30 May-2 June.