The 150th Open: Dimitrios Papadatos wins Vic Open and secures one of three spots for St Andrews
The Vic Open was added to The Open Qualifying Series after the New Zealand Open was cancelled due to Covid-19; Three players secured places for The 150th Open at St Andrews this July, which will be live on Sky Sports' dedicated Open channel
Sunday 13 February 2022 15:47, UK
Dimitrios Papadatos, Ben Campbell and Matthew Griffin have all qualified for The 150th Open at St Andrews after all posting top-three finishes at the Vic Open.
The ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia event was a late addition to The Open Qualifying Series, following the cancellation of the New Zealand Open due to Covid-19, with three places available to qualify for the final men's major of the year.
Papadatos carded a final-round 66 at 13 Beach Golf Links in Melbourne to end the week on 21 and claim a one-shot victory, with his fifth professional title set to see him return to The Open for the first time since Royal Portrush in 2019.
"The Open is an added bonus," Papadatos said. "I was just trying to get the win today so that was definitely the highlight. I'll worry about The Open when it comes. To win this is outstanding.
"I've played the Dunhill Links about four times. I haven't had much luck over there. I struggle in the cold and the wind so I've got a bit of work to do. But I'm just looking forward to it. It's going to be awesome. I played Royal Portrush when I finished second at the Australian Open in 2019 and that was pretty cool. So I know what that's all about now."
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Campbell will make his major debut after his runner-up finish, while Griffin finished five strokes back in third and will play at The Open for the first time since Royal Birkdale in 2017.
"When I saw the leaderboard on the 17th, I saw that Dimi and Ben had kicked away so I was then just trying to qualify for The Open. It's very nice.
Best of the Open Zone 2016
"This will be my second Open. I played Royal Birkdale (in 2017), and missed the cut by two shots. I played all right. It was an amazing experience. I think that first Open you're really just soaking it in. This one, I'll soak it in but I'll get there and really try to compete."
What is The Open Qualifying Series?
A minimum of 46 places at The Open are available through the Open Qualifying Series, which provides golfers with opportunities to qualify at 16 tournaments in 11 countries around the world.
Tournaments on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour, Korean Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour are all included, with the next event in the series being The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida from March 3-6.
The Open then takes place from July 14-17, with round-the-clock coverage throughout tournament week live on Sky Sports' dedicated Open channel.
