GWENT golfers Phil Price and Bradley Dredge challenge for the Open at Sandwich on Thursday fresh from their top 10 finishes in the Scottish Open.

Price, from Pontypridd but living at Bassaleg for the past few years, followed up his victory in the European Open with joint runners-up spot at Loch Lomond to take his winnings for the eight days to over half-a-million pounds.

He has jumped to third place in the Volvo Order of Merit table with earnings of £669, 736. Blackwood's Dredge, who won his first European Tour event in the Madeira Island Open this year, finished joint 10th in the Scottish Open, though at one stage he was lying third.

He is 25th in the Order of Merit table with earnings this year of close on £300,000.

Compatriot Ian Woosnam will not forget how he qualified for the Open.

Four hours after thinking he had blown it with two closing bogeys Woosnam chipped in from 70 feet at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off yesterday.

It was the first time the former world number one had had to enter the 36-hole final qualifying competition since 1981 and he now returns to the course on which he was 16th in 1985 and 50th 10 years ago.

"It's one of my favourites," said Woosnam, who at Lytham was leading with 17 holes to play when his caddie discovered he had an extra driver in his bag.

He was penalised two strokes, finished joint third - and missed out on a Ryder Cup place because of it.

Another Welshman, Chris Cousins of Cardiff. is on standby for any withdrawals after grabbing the first reserve spot at a play-off at North Foreland.

Cousins for one will be hoping that Nick Faldo's wife Valerie goes into labour. The three-time champion has said he will withdraw if he receives news.

There is also a doubt about American John Daly, who withdrew from the Scottish Open with a wrist injury.

* Monmouth golfer Becky Morgan is continuing to blaze a trail in North America.

Her latest achievement was her seventh place in the Canadian Open at Vancouver, the highest finish by a British golfer. She is now 13th in the LPGA money list with earnings of around £270,00 and is 31st in the world rankings.

*Pictured: Bradley Dredge