SUNNINGDALE, England -- Graeme McDowell came through a seven-man playoff on Tuesday to win a place at next month's British Open.

Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam and Jesper Parnevik were among those who failed to qualify at the European qualifier.

Northern Ireland's McDowell, who finished tied for 11th at last year's British Open, will start at Hoylake on July 20 -- along with Englishmen Simon Dyson and Robert Rock, and Richard Sterne of South Africa, who claimed the other three spots Tuesday.

All seven players had made the playoff by shooting a two-round total of 138, six shots off joint leaders Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Marco Ruiz of Paraguay, at the Old and New Courses at Sunningdale, west of London.

A 90-minute rain delay Monday night postponed the playoff, with players returning Tuesday morning to fight it out for the last four of 18 qualifying spots.

Darren Fichardt of South Africa and Italian Alessandro Tadini double-bogeyed and bogeyed the first hole, reducing the field to five.

McDowell and Sterne sank birdie putts on the third extra hole to guarantee qualification.

Rock was the next man through with a birdie on the seventh before Dyson clinched the last spot on the eighth extra hole by sinking a 6-foot (1.8-meter) birdie putt, after England's James Hepworth missed from 25 feet (7.6 meters).

Officials decided to award 18 spots into the Open instead of 15 because of a delay in U.S. qualifying caused by the postponed finish of the rain-hit Booz Allen Classic.

Just 12 spots will be available in the U.S. qualifying on Tuesday, which has been reduced to one round at Congressional because of the delays.

©The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.