[Wayne_Kozun]

Former Open Champions outside of the top 200 who could be classed as non-competitive but who made the cut:

Tom Watson #952
Mark O'Meara #501
David Duval #311
Todd Hamilton #261

Those that missed:
Seve Ballesteros(no ranking)
Nick Faldo #476
Sandy Lyle #695

So more than 50% of those that shouldn't be playing, according to Matt, made the cut which is better than the field in general where 71 of 155 golfers (46%) made the cut.

I don't see the need for the R&A to change the policy.

[Greg Tallman]

"Just for some perspective here, Jason Bohn has made just under $900,000 so far in 2006.  If he's not making ends meet, he's not trying very hard."

Gracias... did not do my homework and did not realize he is hovering around 50 on this year's money list. Still would imagine that this type of player would look at it from a financial standpoint if not a strong desire to defend a title.

Then again... $1 million ain't what it used to be.  

[David_Tepper]

Wayne Kozun -

Thanks for chasing down that useful and informative info. It is always hard to argue with the facts, although there are those who try to.

DT

[Phil McDade]

What a difference a few days makes (see last graph...)

As for the quality of qualifiers, only two of the 12 players who made it through the four final stages of local qualifying (as opposed to international, US and European qualifying) made the cut. Most hugged the bottom end of the leader board.

But here's a fascinating result -- last week, Jon Bevan (-5)and Mikko Ilonen (-2) finished in the top two spots for final local qualifying at Conwy. Come Open week, Bevan went 82-81 to finish dead last in the championship. Ilonen, meanwhile, sits at -7 and is contending for the title against the likes of Tiger, Els and Scott. (Ilonen's ranked 621 in the world.) Goes to show that even someone well out of the world top 200 can play well and contend.

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