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Ecstatic New Zealand golfer Josh Geary will compete at this year's British Open after a stunning display at the Australasian qualifying event in Melbourne yesterday.
Geary will join compatriots Mark Brown and Michael Campbell at Turnberry, Scotland on July 16-19 after sharing victory at the two-round qualifier at the Kingston Heath course.
The 24-year-old from Tauranga will make his first ever visit to Europe - let alone play his first round of golf there - for the 138th Open Championship, a tournament that had barely registered in his practical thoughts.
"It's always been more of a childhood dream than a goal," Geary said.
"When I turned pro (in 2007) I realised how hard it is to get into these sort of events.
"This has come before I expected to play in a major. It will be a great experience for me playing with the world's best on a great course."
He kept his nerve at the cut-throat tournament where most of the 44 golfers were hardened Australians headed by Peter O'Malley, Craig Parry, Peter Senior and Peter Fowler.
Only the top three finishers claimed one of golf's most sought-after invitations.
"It was a long shot but I felt I had a chance," Geary said.
"That class of player is hard to beat on any given day so it was a pretty good feeling walking off that last green."
Even then he had to nervously wait to see if his four-under total of 140 was enough.
It ultimately left him in a tie for first with Australian Tim Wood and one shot ahead of the third qualifier, Australia's Michael Wright. Fourth-placed Senior missed out on qualifying for his 18th British Open by one shot.
Geary shot five birdies in his first round of 70 but lost his way with a double-bogey on the ninth and a bogey on the 11th - both par-fours.
He was steadier in second round despite the increasing winds and quickening greens, nailing three birdies, including a relieving three on the par-four 18th.
"I made bogey on 16 and thought I was basically gone there, that I'd probably need two more birdies," he said.
"I tried not to think about it, I tried to block any emotion out of my mind.
"But when I finished the nerves were worse. There were other guys on three-under and four-under and I had no idea what was going on."
Geary will contest tournaments in Australia through February before lining up in the New Zealand PGA Championship at Clearwater and the New Zealand Open at Arrowtown in early March.
A month later he will return to the Canadian Tour, scene of his first win as a pro at last year's Saskatchewan Open.
"I'll get a lot of preparation in for the British Open, which is good, rather than going in cold."
With devastating bush fires claiming at least 181 lives across Victoria state in recent days, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club checked with Australasian PGA officials before deciding to go ahead with the tournament.
- NZPA
