NICK FALDO cannot wait to play what he calls 'one of the great courses of the world' this week, but the former world number one is disappointed that Shaw Hill's Nick Dougherty will not be at Royal Melbourne with him.

Dougherty and Faldo, eighth and 10th respectively in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth yesterday, have been the closest of friends since the Liverpudlian's junior days.

And Faldo has spoken out after failing in an attempt to get Dougherty's name included in the field for the Heineken Classic, which starts on Thursday.

Faldo said: "I called Tony Roosenburg (the Heineken promoter), but he said there had been no spare invites left since last September.

"I think it's wrong. I would have thought that the point of the tour qualifying school was to guarantee the top five or 10 (Dougherty was third) every start they wanted at the start of the following season."

Dougherty said: "It's disappointing. Last year my finish at the tour school would have got me in, so my management company (Mark McCormack's giant IMG) didn't think it necessary to seek an invite for me.

"I would love to have played, but maybe it's no bad thing to have a week off. I'll just chill out in Sydney." He plays in the ANZ Championship there next week.

For most of the season, a top-10 finish guarantees a player a start the following week, but that does not apply in events sanctioned by more than one tour, as is the case when the European circuit visits South Africa, Australia and Asia.

Colin Montgomerie's withdrawal from the event to fly home for treatment on his injured back did not help.

His place in the £700,000 tournament has gone to the next player in the ranking list, former Ryder Cup man David Gilford.

Dougherty earned £21,330 in Perth and took particular pleasure out of beating 10th-placed Faldo by a single shot, despite Faldo's two closing birdies.

"That's the first time I've done it," added Dougherty, who turned professional after starring in the Walker Cup win last August.

"The previous times we've played in the same event I've missed the cut, so I got such a buzz playing right behind him in the final round. It was awesome."

Faldo said: "It's a shame about the Heineken, but Nick will be all right. He's doing fine.

"I looked round after holing from 10 feet at the last. I could see his legs wobbling at the top of the hill, but he got me!"

It was Faldo's first top-10 finish since he was third in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth last May.