Three Players Qualify for The Open Championship at the Eleventh Hour

Better late than never.

Three players at the Genesis Scottish Open were able to play their way into this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, joining an expansive field of competitors who are seeking a breakthrough victory and the coveted title of “Champion Golfer of the Year.”

The Open will welcome Aaron Rai, Richard Mansell, and Alex Noren this week after they fired 63, 61, and 65, respectively.

The field for The 152nd Open is complete.

Aaron Rai, Richard Mansell and Alex Noren have qualified at the Genesis Scottish Open, which was won in style by Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre.

All four of those players will now head to Royal Troon high on confidence. pic.twitter.com/e7FWw8Og0W

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2024

Rai, who finished tied for fourth with Rory McIlroy, Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Åberg, had to wait until Robert MacIntyre made the twenty-footer to seal the victory in his native Scotland. 

But he made it:

“It’s been a really good stretch. I’ve been a bit amiss on the greens, but that’s really improved in the last month or so and that’s been the biggest change in the results.”

Rai’s finish propelled him from 57th to 50th in the FedEx Cup standings, earning him a spot in this week’s Major Championship. He has had a good year, finishing T2 at the Rocket Mortgage, T14 at the RBC Canadian Open, and T19 at the U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, Mansell will be making his fifth career Major appearance this week, according to the PGA TOUR. His 61 on Sunday pushed him up from 60th on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings. He will now join Rai and over 100 others at Royal Troon:

“I was chatting for about three hours with my manager last night, and I was just kind of moaning a little bit as golfers do about where my game is at and stuff like that. Then just said … ‘The way I’m playing, I can’t shoot a low round at the moment.’ He was like, ‘Well, it’s got 65 all over it.’ I said, ‘How about 61?’ Anyway, birdied the last, shoot 61. It’s just made me realize even more that this game is just insane…You’re never as far away as you think you are.”

Finally, Alex Noren, a Swedish player who has played in 38 prior Majors and 11 Open Championships, is set to add to those lists. He finished in a tie for 10th on Sunday in Scotland, inching his way into The Open field by the skin on his teeth.

Next stop, Royal Troon 👏

Alex Noren and Aaron Rai congratulate each other after qualifying for @TheOpen.#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/X2JwaNRb28

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 14, 2024

Cover Image via Fox News