Friday 4 July 2014 11:21, UK
Shane Lowry, Pablo Larrazabal and Rafael Cabrera-Bello have all been confirmed in the field for the Open Championship at Hoylake, while former champion Tom Lehman has withdrawn.
Both Cabrera-Bello and Lowry will be making their third appearances in the Open, while it will be a fourth start for Larrazabal.
All three qualify as players within the European Tour’s points list who haven’t already booked a place in the field for Royal Liverpool, after the cut-off point at last week’s BMW International Open in Germany.
Cabrera-Bello almost landed that title as he made the playoff in Cologne but failed to lift the trophy eventually won by Fabrizio Zanotti.
Over in America, Brandon Todd and Kavin Na also made the 156-man field after they made the cut in similar qualifying circumstances on the FedEx Cup.
55-year-old Lehman, however, will not be making the trip to the Wirral as he has withdrawn from the event, being staged July 17-20.
The American lifted the Claret Jug, securing his only major victory, in nearby Royal Lytham and St Annes back in 1996.
Lehman, now playing regularly on the Champions Tour in the United States, finished tied 20th in the Senior Players Championship on Sunday a week after winning the Encompass Championship.
No reason has been given for him pulling out.
Further places are up for grabs in both Final Qualifying events being held this week, and also through the PGA and European Tour events at the Greenbrier Classic and French Open respectively, with Open spots given to any players who aren’t already exempted who finish in the top 12.
