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REIGNING
RP Open champion Angelo Que takes his turn
on the global stage when he competes in another major,
the British Open, which gets going from July 17 to 20 in
Royal Birkdale.
Que
takes the cue from Artemio Murakami, who could not get
past the second round of the US Open in San Diego,
California.
“It is a
dream come true for me. I still cannot believe that I’m
actually playing in The Open. The thought of it still
has not sunk into me,” said Que, who earned a spot on
the British Open with three Asian Tour players through
the International Final Qualifying-Asia (IFQ-Asia) in
Sentosa, Singapore.
 Unlike
Murakami, who had an easier access to the US Open, Que
went through anxious moments before squeezing himself
into the top four of the IFQ-Asia. He needed a superb
40-foot birdie putt in the fourth extra hole to beat
Japanese Tomohiro Kondo in a play-off for the last slot.
With
Murakami’s early exit in the US Open, Que knows that he
will be put on the “pressure cooker.” Frankie Mińoza
qualified in the 1998 British Open but didn’t do well
either.
“I have
already spoken with Temyong [Murakami’s nickname]. We
talked about the ecstatic feeling on playing in an event
with Tiger Woods and company in the field. At the same
time, he has given me pointers on how to deal with
things during the practice rounds and actual game,” Que
said.
Murakami
reminded Que to study way in advance the conditions of
the Royal Birkdale course.
“From
what I heard, the British Open organizers are
lengthening the layout. If so, I would have to work on
adding distance in my drives,” said the proud RP
representative, who is presently the leader in the Order
of Merit in the Mercedes-Benz Tour.
According to the British Open web site, 16 of the 18
holes have been altered for the tournament. Royal
Birkdale would now play 7,173 yards, 155 yards longer
when American Mark O’Meara won there a decade ago.
Twenty
new bunkers—16 on the fairways and four on the
greenside—were also added and the significant mounding
on seven of the greens call for a greater variety of
imaginative recovery shots. New strategic options have
also been introduced by changes to the lines of play on
Nos. 3, 9, 11, 16 and 17.
The most
significant of the changes come into play on the ninth’s
fairway that has been moved 25 yards to the left and the
par-five 17th, which has an entirely new green and is 25
yards further back and raised above the fairway to
create a more challenging approach shot, particularly
for those who attempt to get home in two.
“Once
again, the hope is that the Open venue will present a
traditional links test, with hard, fast fairways and
plenty of roll,” explained The R&A chief executive Peter
Dawson in a recent British Open Championship media
conference.
“No
matter what the conditions of the Royal Birkdale are, I
will be ready for it. But first, I’ll have to make sure
not to miss the cut, and then, think of bigger things
such as the title,” Que said. |
