Chicago; July 08: England's Luke Donald will compete in The Open Championship at Royal St George's after sealing his place with a strong finish at the Western Open. The Chicago event was the final qualifying tournament in the US for the Open, which begins on 17 July.
Donald, whose final-round 69 lifted him into a tie for 13th, qualified as one of the eight top Western Open finishers not otherwise exempt.
Joining Donald were Argentina's Jose Coceres and Americans Dudley Hart, Scott McCarron, Skip Kendall, Ben Curtis, Chris Smith and Tom Byrum.
American Cliff Kresge was one of seven other players who earned late exemptions in Chicago via a cumulative money list taken from the Players' Championship and the five PGA Tour events up to and including the Western Open.

"It's huge for me to get in," the 34-year-old Kresge told reporters at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club. "I knew I needed to play well and, fortunately, I was able to do that."

Also gaining automatic places via the money list for the third of the year's four Majors were fellow Americans Jonathan Kaye, Duffy Waldorf, Joey Sindelar, Joe Durant and JL Lewis, and South African Rory Sabbatini.

Bureau Report.