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Watson's run prompts new British Open exemption

Mon 16th, November 2009

St. Andrews, Scotland (Sports Network) - Tom Watson's epic run at this year's British Open Championship prompted the R&A to amend entry criteria for future Open Championships.

On Monday, the R&A announced a new exemption category starting at the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews. Condition F (4) "exempts from qualifying any past Open Champions who finished in the top 10 and ties in any of the previous five Open Championships, thus effectively providing them with a five-year exemption into the Championship."

Watson, 60, was in his final year of eligibility as a former champion this year at Turnberry. He had a sixth claret jug in his grasp, but a bogey at 18 forced him into a playoff he eventually lost to Stewart Cink.

Prior to Monday's announced change, Watson wouldn't be exempt for the 2010 Open Championship.

"We have introduced this exemption as a direct response to seeing two of our great Open Champions, both in their fifties, challenging to win our championship these last two years," said Chief Executive of The R&A, Peter Dawson, referring not only to Watson's run in 2009, but Greg Norman's bid in 2008. "We rightly reduced the age of exemption for past champions from 65 to 60 two years ago and our intention was never to remove players still at the top of their game from competing in The Open."