Owen slams 'disgraceful' Open snub

Leading the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham gave Greg Owen one of the biggest thrills of his career.

The Mansfield golfer has longed to get back in the same position ever since and the way he has been playing for much of this season he believes it could happen this coming week at St Andrews.

But five days before the championship starts Owen does not yet have a place in it – and the circumstances surrounding his exclusion have sparked a real controversy.

Owen could still make it, but he may have to win the Scottish Open to do it. Lying joint sixth going into today’s third round, he considers it “disgraceful” that it has come to this.

The 33-year-old discovered yesterday he was one of three players overlooked for a spot at the Open by the organising Royal and Ancient Club after Billy Mayfair withdrew.

Even though the entry form makes no mention of this, Arron Oberholser, Owen and Jeff Maggert – the next three non-exempt players on the world rankings - were deemed to have pulled out of the Open themselves because they did not play in last week’s qualifying tournament in America.

Owen had no idea that would happen and yet if he is the leading non-exempt player at Loch Lomond he will still be offered a spot, as would Oberholser and Maggert at the John Deere Classic in Illinois.

“They sit there and discuss it over a glass of port and then make it law,” said Owen. “We are professional golfers trying to make a living and we are relying on people making decisions who should not be making them.”

His case was taken up by European tour director of operations David Garland, but he was unable to persuade the R&A to change their mind.

“They have taken a very tough line and are standing by their decision,” he said. “We have tried to lobby to get them to reconsider, but I was told it had been debated long and hard at committee level.

“It’s their championship, but we try on behalf of all our members to get the fairest treatment. They feel their position is right and proper, but we will continue lobbying.”

A furious Owen added: “We spend all our career trying to earn world ranking points to get into these majors and the world championships and to skip somebody because I pulled out of the qualifier to come and support my home tour is just disgraceful.

“It says it nowhere. They’ve just come up with it. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. I’m just trying to improve myself and go forward in my career and you get brick walls built up all over the place. I just wish something could have been done about it.”

If he had opted for this weekend’s final qualifying competition instead he would now be in the Open. As he would if he had gone to the US qualifier, hit one shot and retired.

“That’s the stupid thing about it. They don’t ask you to complete the two rounds. They just ask you to tee it up. They would have been upset if I’d done that. You just can’t please them.”

Owen trails Maarten Lafeber by three with 36 holes to play – and the Dutchman is also seeking that Open spot.

After a 63 which was just off the course record and his lowest round on the European Tour Lafeber resumed 12 under par, with Argentina’s Angel Cabrera 11 under and Darren Clarke, Alastair Forsyth and Jonathan Lomas 10 under.

Lomas is another yet to earn a place in the Open and Gary Orr and Richard Sterne, alongside Owen on nine under, have the same target.

Four of the world’s top 10 – with no worries about qualifying for the Open, of course – are playing this week. Ernie Els is six under, Adam Scott five under, Retief Goosen four and Phil Mickelson three.