Sterne secures Open berth

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 06: Richard Sterne of South Africa aknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during the third round of the Alstom Open de France at Le Golf National on July 6, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 06: Richard Sterne of South Africa aknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during the third round of the Alstom Open de France at Le Golf National on July 6, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Published Jul 8, 2013

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Johannesburg – Richard Sterne booked his place at The Open at Muirfield after the South African finished second behind Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell at the European Tour's French Open in Versailles on Sunday.

With the second place finish Sterne moved up to fourth on the Race to Dubai European Tour moneylist, and gained automatic exemption into the year's third Major.

Sterne also jumped 22 spots to 34th in the official world golf rankings released on Monday, courtesy of his result in the French Open.

The 32-year-old won his sixth European Tour event at the Joburg Open in February and finished tied 34th at The Open in 2009.

Sterne will be one of 10 South Africans in the field, where he will join 2012 and 2002 champion Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen, who won the coveted title in 2010.

Els has been in the top-10 in The Open 12 times, including twice in second and twice in third place.

The other South Africans in the field are Thomas Aiken, Tim Clark, George Coetzee, Branden Grace, Justin Harding, Darryn Lloyd and Charl Schwartzel. – Sapa

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