Carnoustie call-up for Green

AUSTRALIAN Richard Green received a call-up to the British Open Championship yesterday after American Woody Austin’s decision not to travel to Carnoustie next week.

Austin and Hunter Mahan earned places on Sunday off a mini-Order of Merit on the US Tour, but Austin said: “I don’t know how to play that type of golf and I would probably go over there and shoot two high numbers and make a fool of myself.”

The 43-year-old, who last month won his third Tour title at the Stanford St Jude Championship and has career earnings of almost £5million, has played in the Open just once, missing the halfway cut at Royal Lytham in 1996.

Green replaces him as the highest non-exempt player on the world rankings, having said only last week that he found it “staggering” that his position — currently 39th – did not guarantee him a start at Carnoustie.

The left-hander won the Austrian Open last month the week after the Open Championship cut-off point for the world’s top 50.

He missed out on the US Open and added: “Having to sit at home on the couch watching it rather than playing in it was hard.

“But I wasn’t mentally prepared for Oakmont. It’s different with Carnoustie. I’ve prepared my schedule for it and even organised accommodation, although we stopped short of signing contracts for the house when I realised I wasn’t in.”

Now he can put his signature on the dotted line.

Mahan took a very different attitude to Austin after learning he had qualified for the Open. “I’ve been there two years, it’s a ton of fun, golf in its pure form.

“All I know about Carnoustie is just kind of what I’ve seen on TV a little bit. I’m going in there pretty fresh and will have to come up with a game plan Monday through Wednesday.”

He finished 36th on his debut at Troon in 2004 and 26th at Hoylake last July.&

Meanwhile Phil Mickelson discovered something about Carnoustie on Monday as he paid his now traditional advance visit a week before the Open.

“It’s a nice golf course – I never really knew that,” said the world number two with a smile.

The last time the Scottish links staged the event in 1999 Mickelson missed the cut by one with rounds of 79 and 76, but he did at least depart without too many scars.

Mickelson has missed the cut in his last two events, the US Open and then last week’s AT&T National in Maryland.

But there were mitigating circumstances as he suffered a wrist injury practicing for Oakmont.