Sunday 24 June 2018 17:31, UK
Minchel Choi and Sanghyun Park will make their major championship debuts at The 147th Open next month after finishing as the top two players at the KOLON Korea Open.
Choi posted the best round of the tournament in the third round with a superb 64, and he followed it up with a composed 69 on the final day to clinch a two-shot win over his fellow South Korean at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
The 30-year-old Choi had opened the door for his compatriot when he bogeyed the 16th, but he rolled in a clutch birdie putt from 10 feet on the last green to put the result beyond doubt.
Park will also be in the field for the third major of the year at Carnoustie after he also birdied the last to cap a five-under 66 which secured outright second on 10 under, while Moon Kyong-jun and Kim Kyung-tae were four further shots adrift.
The fifth event of the Open Qualifying Series offered two places for The Open to the leading non-exempt players finishing in the top eight, and both Choi and Park are relishing the opportunity to take on the best players in the world on the iconic Scottish links next month.
"I am absolutely honoured to be playing in The Open and I wanted to win this championship to give me the opportunity," said Choi, whose victory atoned for three runner-up finishes on the Korean Tour last season. "I cannot believe that I have won today, I am so happy and excited.
"I don't know much about Carnoustie, only what I have seen on television. I know it can be very windy and very challenging with the fairways and bunkers but I am looking forward to playing on a links course."
Park is a seven-time winner on the Korean Tour and has one further win on the Japan Tour, and he will finally play his first major next month at the age of 35.
"It is a great honour to have qualified for The Open and make my first appearance in the Championship," he said. "I've watched The Open on television every single year and I can't really believe that I have qualified, it is amazing.
"I know that Carnoustie is a very challenging course so I will need to carefully prepare for The Open. I still have a few events coming up and hopefully they will prepare me for giving my best performance at Carnoustie. I'm really looking forward to it."
There will be a further seven places on offer for The Open this week, with three qualifying from the Open de France with a further four places available at the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour.
