British Open places up for grabs in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Mar 31 (Reuters) Order of Merit leader Andrew Buckle heads a powerful Asian Tour cast at Singapore's Sentosa Golf Club next week bidding to earn a place at the 2006 Open Championship.

The top four players from the two-day International Final Qualifying Asia leg will earn their place at The Open on July 20-23 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

Australian Buckle, who played in The Open in 2004, has been in a rich vein of form with two runner-up places in his last three outings.

The 23-year-old is also familiar with Sentosa's Serapong course, finishing third in the Singapore Open there last September.

The 37-strong field for the April 6-7 qualifier also includes Mardan Mamat, who became the first Singaporean to triumph in a tour event on home soil when he won the Singapore Masters earlier this month.

Mardan won the 2005 Open qualifier in Malaysia and will be looking to earn his third appearance at the major after Royal Troon in 1997 and St Andrews last year.

Indian pair Amandeep Johl and Shiv Kapur, Malaysia's Danny Chia and Australian Richard Moir are also among those set to play.

REUTERS DH SND1534