A full complement of Australasians are on hand for the Japan Tour’s Open Championship qualifying tournament this week, the Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open featuring a little extra incentive with places at Carnoustie on offer.

The top four finishers from inside the top-12 who are not otherwise qualified will book their place in the game’s oldest major and 11 Australasians will aim to be among their number.

The tournament has proved a fruitful one for Australians in the past with Brendan Jones winning twice and Brad Kennedy once while several others have claimed Open spots in recent years.

Both Kennedy and Jones are among the starters this year and are joined by Andrew Evans, Aaron Wilkin, Matt Griffin, Todd Sinnott, Anthony Quayle, Scott Strange, David Bransdon, Won Joon Lee and New Zealand’s Michael Hendry.

Bransdon comes into the tournament seeking a unique double after surviving qualifying for the U.S. Open early in the week.

The 44-year-old was one of three players to book a place in the field at Shinnecock Hills and if he can claim one of the four spots on offer come Sunday it would be a memorable achievement indeed.

The tournament has moved to a new venue this year making previous form less telling but The Royal Golf Club will likely be to the liking of Todd Sinnott as it boasts extraordinary length.

Matt Griffin tweeted a photo of the course scorecard early in the week and at more than 7,300 metres it looks likely to favour the long hitters, all four of the par-3’s capable of playing in excess of 220 metres.