McGinley keeps quiet over R&A criticisms

PAUL MCGINLEY is staying tight lipped despite much criticism of the R&A ahead of today's 36-hole British Open Final Qualifier at the Sunningdale course in England.

McGinley along with fellow Irish golfers, Gary Murphy and Michael Hoey, will be among 120-players vying for one of the 15 spots available into Royal Troon.

But the staging of the 36-hole qualifier in between the French Open and Thursday's starting Smurfit European Open has not delighted all involved.

The Scots have been some of the more outspoken with Colin Montgomerie and Gordon Brand Jnr each questioning the R&A's lack of tour consultation.

"The R&A are not worried where we might be playing the week before or the week after and my biggest concern is we get finished on Monday as these things often have a play-off and odds on we may be there on Tuesday morning," said Monty.

Brand Jnr is out in the very first Sunningdale pairing this morning at 6.30am after having arrived back to Britain from Paris late last night (Sunday) where he finished well down in the French Open.

"If it was anything but the Open Championship I would be giving the R & A a one finger salute," said Brand Jnr, "But because it is a chance to play in the Open, I will go to Sunningdale but I'm not happy about doing a 6.30am.

"I want to qualify for the Open but if the only thing the R&A can do for us is a 6.30am tee time and then possibly have to go into Tuesday for a play-off, that is not acceptable.

"We are tournament players. We play France, Sunningdale and Ireland and our season is structured around and not qualifying for the Open.

"But whilst the R&A are going in the right direction with this Final Qualifying notion they need to wake up as they are nowhere near right at all."

McGinley, who left Paris with rounds of 75, 72, 74 and 72, lives no more than 400 yards from the front gates of Sunningdale but he would rather be exempt than have to qualify.

"I have a fellow who is caddying for me that has always caddied for me when I've played Sunningdale but at the end of the day, you are just going to have to play great golf to win a place," said McGinley.

"Even though I know the course so well, it is still going to be a sprint and if you're not on the sprint pace you ain't going to qualify.

"It's a major and my favourite tournament of the year and I desperately want to be at Troon but I am not exempt so I am faced with Final Qualifying. But I am not going to buck to rules and I am going to go and try and qualify and that's it."

Murphy, who finished with a three over par tally in France, has had to pull out of a Des Smyth Pro-Am at the K Club tomorrow due to his Sunningdale commitment.

"I just think last week during the US Open week would have been a better scenario for everyone and not in the middle of two big weeks on the Tour," said Murphy.

"But then guys were taking holidays last week and that wouldn't have suited everyone but the bottom line is getting yourself exempt and not having to worry about qualifying."