Three tied for a British Open berth. Why a former Bradenton golfer got in
There were two qualifying berths into the last major championship of the year up for grabs at last week’s PGA Tour event.
Davis Thompson, who won the tournament, earned the first Open Championship exemption. A former IMG Academy golfer was in the mix for the other spot.
C.T. Pan birdied two of his final three holes at the John Deere Classic to tie for second place with two others.
But neither of the other two, Michael Thorbjornsen or amateur Luke Clanton, are ranked as high as Pan in the Official World Golf Rankings. That was the tiebreaker used to award Pan a spot in the British Open, which will be held at Scotland’s Royal Troon Golf Club in two weeks.
“It’s going to be a great trip,” Pan told PGATour.com. “Honestly going to be hectic to arrange all the travel details at the last minute, but it will be a good problem to have.”
Pan, who won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics for Chinese Taipei, entered last week’s tournament ranked No. 114.
He moved to 93rd in the world after a final-round 64, which included birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, tied him with Thorbjornsen and Clanton. The latter birdied the final three holes to make it a three-way tie for second place at 24-under par, four shots behind Thompson’s winning total.
There are three more exemptions to the Open Championship available at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open. They are the final ones awarded.
Pan, who has won one PGA Tour title, has played in three previous Open Championships, missing the cut each time.
