The 149th Open: Lucas Herbert and Rikard Karlberg among four to secure spots for Royal St Georges

Rikard Karlberg produced a spectacular finish at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to secure a last-minute invite to The 149th Open later this month.

The Swede, who arrived at Mount Juliet Estate without a worldwide top-10 in two years and having missed the cut in eight of his previous starts, rolled back the years to produce his best European Tour finish in five years.

Karlberg followed birdies at the 15th and 17th by making an unlikely chip-in from off the final green to pick up another shot, with a five-under 67 enough to leapfrog the world No 611 into second place and earn him one of three qualifying spots available at the event.

Lucas Herbert registered a three-shot victory to claim his second European Tour title and also earn his place at Royal St George’s, with Johannes Veerman earning the other place – awarded to the three leading golfers not already exempt – for his third-place finish.

Herbert’s only previous Open appearance came in 2018 at Carnoustie, where he finished tied-51st as Francesco Molinari claimed a maiden major title, while Veerman will make his maiden appearance at the final men’s major of the year.

“It’s awesome when you get to play an Open Championship,” Herbert said. “Some of the best venues in the world and they test you so much strategically. I haven’t played the course before. There’s always a great buzz around The Open. Everyone gets behind it in the UK and Ireland. I’m stoked to get that start.”

The Challenge Tour’s Kaskáda Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic also offered an Open place for the leading golfer not already exempt, Germany’s Marcel Schneider taking that spot after registering a one-shot victory.

“I heard about The Open spot on Friday during the round, I hadn’t thought about that before,” Schneider said. “It feels even more superb now. It means a lot. I’ve not had chance to play in it before and I will definitely enjoy it and I’m already looking forward to it.”

Three Korean players to skip The Open

Korea’s Joohyung Kim has withdrawn from the Open Championship due to “international travel requirements”, according to tournament organisers.

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Kim’s place in the field at Royal St George’s will be taken by South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder, with the world No 113 the third Korean to opt out of the final men’s major of the year.

Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim withdrew to focus on preparing for the Olympic Games, with the men’s competition taking place from July 29-August 1 – a fortnight after The Open.

The R&A recently informed players that the championship will “operate under strict government oversight”, with guidelines which prohibit players from going to bars, restaurants and supermarkets during tournament week.

Who else has qualified this week?

The R&A announced on Thursday that the leading 12 players in the world rankings, as of June 30, not already exempt, would also be given invites to tee it up in Kent.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson was among the dozen to secure their places, with Kevin Streelman, Russell Henley, Carlos Ortiz, Charley Hoffman. Brendon Todd, MacKenzie Hughes, KH Lee, Chris Kirk, Talor Gooch, Lanto Griffin the Cameron Tringale the other qualifiers.

The winner of this year’s contest will receive more than $2million in prize money for the first time in the Championship’s history, with the Champion Golfer of the Year earning $2,070,000 and the total prize fund set at $11,500,000.

Watch the 149th Open from July 15-18 live on Sky Sports’ dedicated channel – Sky Sports The Open!

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