RICHARD McEvoy says it was the cherry on the cake to find out he would be playing with former champion Stewart Cink at the 142nd Open Championship in Scotland today.

The 34-year-old from Leigh tees off at the third major of the season with 2009 champion Cink and fellow American Scott Stallings this morning at Muirfield.

The former St Thomas More school pupil booked his place through the qualifiers at Sunningdale three weeks ago, and will proudly take his place in a field of 156 which includes world numbers one and two, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had a good couple of practice rounds and made some final little tweaks, and now I can’t wait to get going,” said McEvoy, a member of Thorpe Hall Golf Club.

“I’m very happy with my draw because I’m playing with Stewart Cink, who won it four years ago, so that will be fantastic and an honour.

“I’m also playing with Scott Stallings, who has been playing well in America, so playing with top players like that straight away brings home what a great event it is to be part of.”

A double bogey on the final hole of his second round at last week’s Scottish Open saw McEvoy frustratingly miss the cut by one shot, and he says he will use that disappointment as fuel for his fire this week.

American world number five Phil Mickleson won in an exciting play-off and was one of many to use the event as a warm-up for The Open, but McEvoy says the course at Castle Stuart in Inverness cannot really prepare you for the challenge at Muirfield.

“It was good to play on a links golf course, but it is nothing like the feel of Muirfield,” he said.

“It was good to get the feel of the ball running fast on the fairways and having to pitch it in the right spots on the green, but Castle Stuart is more set-up for amateurs.

“This week will be played on a proper championship golf course. It will be firmer grass on the fairways and the rough stuff will be thicker, and the greens will be fair, but tight.

“It’s going to be about managing yourself around the course. You need to focus on the points where you need to hit it, rather than the points where you don’t want to hit it.

“You have to be strong mentally and if your game’s in half decent shape you will do well. It’s all about keeping your ball in play and minimising mistakes.”

McEvoy says he has no expectations in terms of a result, but that he would like to better his showing at the 2011 Open where he finished in a tied 48th place after getting the chance to play in a group with defending champion Louis Oosthuizen.

He said: “I just want to enjoy it. I don’t get to play many of these weeks at the moment, so I want to enjoy it and have a good time and just try and do as well as I can.”

McEvoy tees off at 7.27am today and then at 12.30pm tomorrow.

The action will be screened on the BBC.