EIGHT years on from his calamitous Open Championship at Royal St George's, Thomas Bjorn was last night handed the chance of redemption over the Sandwich links after Vijay Singh withdrew from this week's major because of injury.
Bjorn, the 40-year-old Dane, suffered a staggering late meltdown in the 2003 championship in Kent when he blew a three-shot lead with just four holes to play and gifted the Claret Jug to the then little-known American, Ben Curtis.
Bjorn, who was runner-up in the 2000 Open at St Andrews said. “I’m just delighted. You don’t want to see players pull out, but since Sandwich I have missed some Opens and it makes you realise how much you want to play in them.
“The year after what happened here was difficult, but these are the events you want to be playing in. When I think back, I just count myself lucky that I got myself in a position where I had a chance to win. Loads of people don’t get that chance.”
With the Open title in his grasp, Bjorn, a Ryder Cup winner with Europe in 1997 and 2002, spilled a shot on the 15th before plunging his tee-shot at the par-three 16th into the greenside bunker; twice he watched his attempted escapes roll back into the sand. He took a crippling double-bogey there and then leaked another shot on the 17th to give Curtis an unlikely triumph.
Bjorn, who was also runner-up in the 2005 US PGA Championship has not played St George’s since that fateful day and he added: “When I get there, I won’t be thinking, ‘This is a horror hole.’ It’s a good hole. I just tried to erase it from my memory, but it might just creep into my mind on Sunday if I am playing well.”
Bjorn will now form an opening day three-ball with Englishman Simon Dyson and America’s Gary Woodland, the longest hitter on the PGA Tour.
Elsewhere in the draw, the title holder Louis Oosthuizen will begin the defence of his crown in the company of fellow major champions Martin Kaymer of Germany and Phil Mickelson.
The marquee trio will tee off at at 2.21pm on Thursday in the group after the Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, the in-form American, Steve Stricker, and the world No.2, Lee Westwood of England.
Luke Donald, the world No.1 who won the Scottish Open on Sunday, has been paired with Sergio Garcia and Japanese youngster Ryo Ishikawa while the US Open champion Rory McIlroy will launch his bid for back-to-back majors with Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler.
On the home front, Scott Jamieson, who squeezed into the field by sharing third at Castle Stuart, will tee-up with Chad Campbell and Kenneth Ferrie while Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion, will accompany Alex Noren of Sweden and America’s Kevin Na. Martin Laird is out on the 7.47 shift with Bo Van Pelt and KJ Choi. On his heels will be Stephen Gallacher, who competes in the next match alongside Bill Haas and Hiroyuki Fujita. Peter Whiteford will make his Open debut alongside Spencer Levin and Thomas Aiken while veteran Sandy Lyle, the winner here in 1985, partners Rory Sabbatini and Anthony Kim.
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