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They couldn’t keep pace with American prodigy Jordan Spieth but veteran golfers Rod Pampling, Brett Rumford and Greg Chalmers earned a comforting consolation at the Australian Open on Sunday.
The trio earned tickets to the spiritual home of golf for next year’s British Open at St Andrews after finishing second, third and fourth respectively at The Australian Golf Course in Sydney.
Chalmers was misty-eyed just thinking about it, while Pampling will be looking for a degree of redemption in Scotland.
For Pampling, it’s another chance to atone after leading the first round at Carnoustie in 1999 only to miss the cut.
Chalmers, though, is viewing it as something else entirely.
Having never played in an Open Championship at the home of golf, it’s sweet reward for the 41-year-old West Australian, who will play limited events in 2015 after a poor year on the PGA Tour in 2014 led to him only having conditional status.
Chalmers played his first Open Championship in 1998 at Royal Birkdale after winning the Australian Open for the first of two times, finishing tied for 57th.
He didn’t play again until 2012 at Royal Lytham and St Annes when he finished tied 45th.
“It’s an occasion you can’t replicate, it will be brilliant,” Chalmers said.
“I’ve only been there twice for the Dunhill Links. I’ve never played a British Open there but I’m really pumped because my parents might come over, my wife and kids as well and we’ll make a big trip and deal out of it … because I am getting old.”
Despite his collapse at Carnoustie, Pampling won’t be daunted; he’s played the Open at St Andrews before and made the cut on four of seven attempts at winning the Claret Jug.
Pampling’s Open stats are better than those of Rumford, who has only made the cut once in four attempts – in 2006.
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