TOKYO — China's Liang Wenchong and Shiv Kapur of India are set to make their US Open debuts next month after coming through sectional qualifying. Liang, 35, topped the two-round qualifier in Nara, Japan, while Kapur won his berth by finishing fifth in a separate event in England. Three-time Asian Tour winner Liang posted five-under-par 66 in his final round at Nara International Golf Club for nine-under-par 133, enough to win by a stroke. Kiyoshi Miyazato, Lee Kyoung-hoon and Toru Taniguchi were tied for second and Azuma Yano and David Oh, who were joint fifth, also earned tickets to the June 9-15 US Open at Pinehurst Resort. Separately Kapur, who also played the British Open in 2006 and 2013, totalled 131 to place fifth at Walton Heath Golf Club and qualify for his third major tournament. Further sectional qualifiers will be held in the United States on June 2. Lowry tops qualifiers Ireland's Shane Lowry topped the list of US Open qualifiers a day after missing out by a shot in qualifying automatically for next month's championship. Lowry shot rounds of a three under par 69 at Walton Heath's New Course Monday and then posted a five under par 67 on Old Course for an eight under par total to finish a stroke clear among the 14 leading qualifiers in a starting field of 105 players. It is the second time in five attempts the 26-year old Dubliner has been successful at Walton Heath in qualifying for a US Open. The double European Tour winner had secured his biggest pay check in finishing runner-up to good friend Rory McIlroy in Sunday's concluding BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth where a win would have seen Lowry having to avoid teeing up at Walton Heath. However, Lowry continued his good form at Walton Heath despite the wet, cold and miserable conditions. “I played okay and putted really, really well holing a lot of six to eight footers for par,” he said. “But after finishing so close to victory yesterday I just carried a lot of momentum from Wentworth into today to get the job done. “And while I was a little disappointed not to win the BMW PGA at least now I've done it the hard way so that I can join Rory at Pinehurst.” Lowry's second place finish in the BMW PGA Championship saw him jump 68 spot to World No. 74 and the likelihood of adding also August's PGA Championship to his schedule. But while Lowry won through to the US Open fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington will now miss a first US Open in 15 years after falling six shots shy of qualifying with rounds of 75 and 71. Last month, Harrington also failed to qualify for the Masters for a first occasion in 14 years. Harrington will now take a week's break before returning to the PGA Tour for the June 5th commencing FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis. McIlroy banking on win Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy believes the confidence he will gain from his BMW PGA Championship victory at Wentworth could act as a launch pad to get him back on top of the rankings. The 25-year-old shrugged aside the midweek heartache of breaking off his planned wedding to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki by winning the European Tour's flagship event by one stroke from Ireland's Shane Lowry Sunday. “I think it's the start of something,” twice major winner McIlroy told reporters after his emotional triumph lifted him from 10th to sixth in the world. “I could feel my game sort of bubbling and it was getting there — a win validates that. “The game is waiting for one or two guys just to kick on. I'd like to be that guy and I'd like to think this is a springboard to doing something like that. There are still three majors to play this year, a lot of golf left,” McIlroy said after becoming the first Northern Irishman to land the coveted BMW PGA title in the 60th edition of the championship. — Agencies
