| Frenchman Alexander Levy earned a debut appearance in next month’s US Open after finishing one shot clear of Shiv Kapur at the International Sectional Qualifier held at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey on May 25.
Two-time European Tour winner Levy (pictured) followed a six under par round of 66 on the Old Course in the morning with a five under par 67 on the New Course in the afternoon to finish on 11 under par, heading the 11 players to earn a spot at Chambers Bay Golf Club, in Washington. A birdie on the final hole ensure he finished a stroke clear of Kapur at the top of the 82-player leaderboard to seal his second appearance in a Major Championship, after sharing 30th position in last year’s US PGA Championship. John Parry, who finished tied 28th at Merion two years ago, finished a further shot back on nine under par, while Sweden’s Alex Noren, who was one over par after 19 holes of the 36 hole qualifier, surged up the leaderboard with eight birdies and an eagle in the space of 15 holes to earn his third US Open appearance with a closing 64 to take fourth spot on eight under par. Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard shared fifth position on seven under par with Englishman Palmer, who ensured there will be another notable storyline to emerge from Walton Heath, ten years after New Zealand’s Michael Campbell qualified and went on to win the US Open at Pinehurst. After turning to chipping one handed to overcome the ‘yips’, Palmer is in his rookie season on The European Tour and he has vowed to continue using his unorthodox method when he tees it up in a Major Championship for the first time. Marcel Siem finished on six under par to take the seventh spot and a the final four spots were decided by a play-off after Tjaart Van Der Walt carded a birdie and two eagles in his last six holes to make it a five-way tie for eighth place on five under par. Australian Marcus Fraser progressed at the first extra hole, before the South African trio of Van Der Walt, Thomas Aiken and Garth Mulroy secured their spots at the third play-off hole, with Welshman Oliver Farr the man to miss out on a Major debut. Farr had to settle for the one of the two alternate spot available for Chambers Bay, with Fabrizio Zanotti coming through a separate five man play-off to claim the second, with three-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington, who had bogeyed his final hole in regulation play to slip out of the play-off for the final four US Open spots, again missing out. |