BARNES, PORTER AND SENIOR SECURE PLACES AT ST ANDREWS

For Immediate Publication

BARNES, PORTER AND SENIOR SECURE PLACES AT ST ANDREWS

15 January 2010, Melbourne, Australia: Kurt Barnes, Ewan Porter and Peter Senior have qualified for the 2010 Open Championship after taking the top three positions at International Final Qualifying – Australasia at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, today. The Australian trio will now look forward to taking their places at the 150th Anniversary Open Championship on 15-18 July in St Andrews.

Barnes seized his opportunity with a second-round eight-under-par 64 to finish at the top of the leaderboard on ten under, two shots ahead of overnight leader Ewan Porter (68). Senior (70) took the third qualifying place on five under par.

50-year-old Senior will make his 18th appearance at The Open Championship a decade after his last appearance at St Andrews 2000. At six under with just a hole to play, he bogeyed the 18th and endured a nervous wait to find out whether he had earned one of the three available berths.

“It feels fantastic. I thought I had blown it coming down the last couple of holes but the score hung on and I am really excited about going there,” said Senior. “St Andrews is such a special place, the atmosphere is just fantastic and I am really going to enjoy this one.”

It will be Senior’s fifth St Andrews Open having previously played in 2000, 1995, 1990 and 1984. His best result at the Home of Golf was a 14th place in ‘84, whilst his best finish at The Open, fourth, came at Royal St Georges in 1993.

In contrast to Senior, the 2010 Open Championship will be Kurt Barnes’ first appearance at a Major. The New South Welshman shot a superb eight-under-par 64 in today’s final round to finish two clear of the field.

Starting the day two strokes off the lead in fourth, he completed the front nine in 31 strokes with birdies coming at the second, third, fourth, seventh and ninth. He then built on that start with another four coming home to finish the 36-hole event on ten under par.

“Today was pretty solid: only the one bogey, but I am really happy,” said Barnes, winner of the Sofitel Zhongshan IGC Open in Nanjing last year.

“I reckon today is one of the best ball striking displays ever: I hit it well, I pitched it well and I also putted well, so my all round game was really good. It’s one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played.

“Just thinking about going to St Andrews is awesome. I have only played there once at the Dunhill Championship so I am really excited,” he added.

Two rounds of 68 saw Ewan Porter qualify for the third time in three starts at IFQ – Australasia. Two other successful campaigns came at his home club of The Lakes in 2007 and 2008.

“I’m just over the moon,” said the 2008 Moonah Classic champion. “I said to my caddy Grant on the last hole that this feels better than the previous two attempts – just the fact that it’s St Andrews this time.”

“I guess I have been through so many tough times over the last couple of years but the belief and the hard work I have been doing is bearing fruit right now and I hope that this is just the kick-start to a big 2010 for me.”

The next International Final Qualifying event for The Open Championship, IFQ – Africa, will take place at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on 20 & 21 January.

The 2010 Open Championship will be held at St Andrews on 15-18 July.

Full hole-by-hole scores from IFQ – Australasia are available on www.opengolf.com.

ENDS

Note to Editors

IFQ
International Final Qualifying (IFQ) events for The Open Championship were introduced in 2004 and are held on five continents to give more players from around the world the chance to gain direct entry into golf's oldest championship.

IFQ for the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews will be held as follows:

IFQ - Australasia: Kingston Heath, Melbourne, Australia, 14 & 15 January
IFQ - Africa: Royal Johannesburg & Kensington, South Africa, 20 & 21 January
IFQ - Asia: Saujana, Malaysia, 10 & 11 March
IFQ - America: Gleneagles, Plano, Texas, USA, 24 May
IFQ - Europe: Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, 7 June

The R&A
Based in St Andrews, The R&A is golf's governing body and organiser of The Open Championship. The R&A is committed to working for golf and operates with the consent of 136 organisations from the amateur and professional game and on behalf of over thirty million golfers in 124 countries.

Further information:

Rhodri Price
Assistant Director – Championships

Malcolm Booth
Assistant Director - Head of Communications

The R&A
Tel: +44 1334 460000