Neven Basi looks to win a spot in the Open Championship
It is that time of the year when Australian golf players meet each other in the final qualifying tournaments for the Open Championship.
Aspiring and talented golfers try their best to list themselves among the contenders of the Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in July.
Neven Basic is one of those participating in the Australasian final qualifying event, at the Kingston Heath course in Melbourne, to earn their Open cards.
Basic, who has not turned professional yet, is one of the favourites to win the qualifying tournament.
The conditions at the Kingston Heath course are extremely windy and all the players need to use their skills fully to counter the effect of the winds.
However, Basic is one of the best players and can play in these types of conditions with ease.
In the 45-man field, Basic was leading the tournament with his compatriot, Chris Gaunt, after posting a three-under par 69 in the first round of the two-day International Open Championship qualifier.
Both Gaunt and Basic have not appeared in the Open yet in their careers. Basic, who missed the chance four years ago by one stroke, is hopeful to make it this year.
“This is my third go at IFQ as I missed by one about four years ago which hurt,” said Basic.
He carded six birdies and three bogeys in his first round of the qualifying tournament. He was superb while making the birdie shots. However, the bogeys trimmed his lead and forced him to share it with Gaunt.
He needs to be more consistent while playing, as he cannot afford that many bogeys in a tournament, which will decide his participation in a major event that he has always wanted to play.
“It would be awesome to play in a Major, it’s something that you have watched on television since you are 10 or 12 years of age so to actual get to play would be fantastic,” he said.
“To play in such a historic place with the best players in the world would be fantastic,” he added.
As far as his competitors are concerned, he definitely has an edge over them, due to his current form.
Even though there are a number of legendary players from Australia, such as Craig Parry, Peter Senior and Peter Lonard, Neven still dominated the field in style.
Throughout the first round, Basic did not lose his confidence because of the presence of some big names. He continued playing his natural game and stood first while entering the final round.
The only thing for Basic to worry about is the eight players chasing him with only a one-stroke deficit, at two-under par 70.
Kurt Barnes is the toughest contender for him right now, as he is enjoying his best form these days.
He is also among the eight players that are tied for the second place. Recently, he stood runner-up in the Victoria Open.
Barnes was leading the round with a five-under par score but lost momentum due to double bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes.
Therefore, he can make a great start on the final round and challenge Basic on the top position.
Currently, Basic is performing really well and has the chance to qualify for the Open for the first time ever.
However, he will have to record some better score on the leaderboard in the final round so that he does not have to depend on others’ performance to win the event.
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