Khan barely misses out in U.S. Open qualifier in England immediately after his biggest win (PGATOUR.com)
June 9, 2010
WALTON-ON-THE-HILL, England (PA Sport)—Simon Khan, European golf's man of the moment, kept a smile on his face all day at Walton Heath on Monday – even when he was the one to lose out in a six-man playoff for five spots in next month's U.S. Open.
Long after European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie had missed out by three shots in the one-day, 36-hole European qualifier, brand-new BMW PGA Championship winner Khan was looking like he would make it through to Pebble Beach—until Sweden's Rikard Karlberg, playing in the day's final group, birdied the 35th hole to force the big playoff.
That meant more work and Khan, understandably exhausted by then after getting "hardly any sleep," was the only one of the six playoff participants not to birdie the first hole of sudden death.
"Unbelievable. I thought one of them would miss," he said after seeing Karlberg make a 25-footer and then Frenchmen pair Gregory Havret and Jean-Francois Lucquin hole from 15 and 14 feet, respectively.
Also on Monday, four players punched their tickets to Pebble Beach in an Asian qualifier held on the Toyooka Course at Musashi Country Club in Japan. Hiroyuki Fujita won the event, while fellow Japanese players Toru Taniguchi and Kaname Yokoo and Australia's Paul Sheehan captured the remaining three spots.
Already through in the European playoff were Spaniard Pablo Martin and Finland's Mikko Ilonen, while the qualifier was earlier won by England's James Morrison by two strokes over Argentina's Rafa Echenique and by three over Welshman Rhys Davies, Ireland's Gareth Maybin, England's Gary Boyd and Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
<p>Khan might still earn a place in the U.S. Open as the first alternate from Walton Heath. But having changed his life by winning the European Tour's flagship event on Sunday, there will be no tears if that does not happen.
He had earlier shot rounds of 67 and 70 for a 7-under-par total after showing real professionalism by getting up at 6:00 a.m. the morning after the memorable night before.
"I had a few legless shots this afternoon," he said, referring to fatigue rather than a hangover. "Swing-wise I'm delighted with how I played, but I couldn't focus on the greens."
After his efforts of the day and the past week, he has now decided to skip this week's Madrid Masters and will return to action a week on Thursday in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor. He won that title in 2004.
Montgomerie blamed poor putting for failing in his bid to qualify for a trip to the course on which he finished third on his debut in 1992. He missed out on the playoff by three shots.
"It's very disappointing. I had an opportunity to get to 8 under easy, but missed too many putts as usual," he said. "Same old story for six years. I'll try again at Sunningdale."
That was a reference to the British Open qualifier in two weeks' time, when he will be trying to earn a return to St. Andrews, scene of his runner-up finish to Tiger Woods five years ago.
Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke also failed to qualify for Pebble Beavh, and so did 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, who as an amateur came in 13th in the British Open last July and 36th in the Masters last month.
The youngster, who played with a Walton Heath member when his scheduled partner Chris Wood failed to show and was disqualified, finished on 5 under, but Clarke was way down the field on 2 over.
Like Khan, the 40-year-old Ulsterman has pulled out of this week's Madrid Masters and said: "I'm flogging a bit of a dead horse and need a break. I'm just not enjoying it—I'm trying hard, but it ain't happening."
Wood, the 54-hole leader at Wentworth who then crashed to a 77, will avoid a fine after management spokesman Ian Garbutt said that messages about his withdrawal had been left with the U.S. Golf Association and the European Tour.
"He's just exhausted," said Garbutt. "Chris has been in contention the last three weeks and last week was a big week."
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