Ghei gears up for the battle

They were joined by the Om3ega Tour’s Eric Rustand who lost out in a play-off but is first reserve for the tournament. The American will sit patiently in the clubhouse on Thursday to see if anybody fails to show up.The foursome were part of a 29-strong group from the Asian PGA’s Omega Tour who took part in the final qualifying competition. The so-called `Asian Invasion’ was sponsored by Johnnie Walker.

Ghei, who hit the headlines when he beat Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Cup, rated the course higher than St Andrews where he recorded his famous victory.“This has got to be the toughest British Open course — you cannot have a tougher course than this anywhere…

It is not possible,” said Ghei, whose golfing highlight before this week was holing out from off the green to win the 1995 Gadgil Western Masters on the Omega Tour.“It is an unbelievable course. From a lot of the tees on the back-nine you ask `Where is the golf course’ not `Where is the green’.

It is awesome. Only the best player can win here.You cannot get away with any loose shots. There is no room for error on this course.”Rustand agreed with Ghei: “I loved it…What a gorgeous course. You have to hit it awfully straight or you are in big trouble.”

Korea’s Kim Jong Duk, who has played two years on the Omega Tour, received direct entry into the British Open after winning the $ 790,000 Kirin Cup in late April in Japan. He will be the second Korean to compete in the world famous event following Kim Sung-Ha’s appearance way back in 1972.The wind howled adding distance to the par-71, 7,079 yard layout as Mamat and Kernohan played a bounce game against Ghei and Rustand.

“It’s so long and so difficult when the wind blows,” said the 29-year-old Mamat, who had never played a links course before last week. “But it is a great course and it was a pleasure to play it. You cannot afford to miss the fairways here. It will be a big challenge.”