Twice Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal failed on Monday in a marathon attempt to win a place in the British Open this month after struggling all season with injury. The 42-year-old Spaniard, who had entered a special 36-hole qualifying competition at the Sunningdale Club, teed off at 6.30 A.M. (0530GMT). He left the course believing his four-under total of 136 would not be good enough to earn one of the 18 places on offer. However, Olazabal was then summoned back at twilight to take part in a four-hole six-man sudden death playoff for the final two qualifying places. Olazabal drove into the rough at the third extra hole and his bogey five was not enough to prevent Britain's Simon Dyson and Peter Baker clinching their places to play at Birkdale. “I am not so tired, just hurt at not qualifying,” he told reporters. “I do have a stiffness in my lower back that is an issue at the moment. I only played here because it was the Open, you have to give it a go, but now I am going to go home and see if I feel stronger after some time off.” The first two qualifying places went to Argentina's Ariel Canete and Briton Simon Wakefield, who both returned seven under par totals of 133. Three other Ryder Cup stalwarts in addition to Olzabal failed to seal places in the year's third major. Dane Thomas Bjorn quit halfway through his second round with a shoulder injury while Ireland's Paul McGinley, who lives on the edge of the Sunningdale course, and Northern Irishman Darren Clarke both fell short of the 136-hole playoff mark.
