Colin Montgomerie survived an agonising wait to secure a place in the 145th Open at Royal Troon in Final Qualifying at Gailes Links in Scotland. After carding rounds of 66 and 71 for a five-under-par total, the 53-year-old Scot had to wait two hours before learning that he had progressed from the Ayrshire venue through the Open Qualifying Series.
The eight-time Order of Merit winner is a member at Royal Troon, where his father James was the secretary, and will play in golf’s oldest championship for the first time since his 21st consecutive appearance in 2010.
“If I was going to play one Open it would be this one, as my qualifying days are behind me after this,” said Montgomerie. “I’ll never play another at Troon because it comes back every 12 years, so this gives me an opportunity to play, and I think I can say this meant more to me than, with all respect to everyone else, than anyone else playing here.”
At the same venue, Oskar Arvidsson shrugged off his lowly world ranking of 1,418 to win the qualifier by four shots with a 10-under-par 132 total after rounds of 64 and 68. The 25-year-old ignited his day by rolling in a 25-foot eagle putt at the first and dropped only one stroke all day. Scott Fernandez, a 23-year-old from Grenada with a mum who hails from Kidderminster, qualified at the first attempt on six-under-par and revealed his ambition to play in The Open had been fuelled by watching the action at Royal Troon in 1989 on video.
Over at Woburn, Ireland’s Dunne, the 23-year-old from Greystones, carded a flawless four-under-par 68 in the morning and then added a 67 in the afternoon to post a nine-under-par total of 135 on the Marquess course. Dunne’s nearest challenger was his playing partner Ryan Evans, who matched the Irishman’s 68 in the morning and then survived a double bogey on the 16th in the afternoon to card another 68 and finish on 136. The final place went to Robert Rock, who finished tied-seventh at St Andrews in 2010. Rock closed with a 66 and then beat Aaron Rai with a par on the first hole of a play-off after the Challenge Tour player three-putted from the front edge of the green.
Essex’s Matt Southgate won the Royal Cinque Ports qualifier on six-under-par, having also won at Sunningdale two years ago before missing the cut on his debut in The Open at Royal Liverpool. After a morning 70 at Deal, he eagled the third hole in the afternoon as he went out in 31. Then he came home in level par in the worst of the wind on the fearsome back nine for a 66, the lowest second-round score by three shots.
Also qualifying at Deal, three strokes behind on three-under-par, were Surrey’s James Heath and New Zealand’s Steven Alker. Heath, following his victory in the Scottish Hydro Challenge, had an eventful second-round of 70. Four birdies and an eagle put him at eight under par after seven holes, but three bogeys and two double bogeys left him one under with three to play. The former Faldo Junior Series winner rallied with birdies at the 16th and 17th to book a place in his first Major championship.
“It means so much to play in The Open, I’m delighted,” said Heath. “I thought I’d blown it, but I came back strong and showed a lot of resilience. I’ve never played a major and never played at Troon, so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got a lot of confidence after the win, but I know I have to work on my game. It’s been ten years between wins on the Challenge Tour and it’s a long time. I did a lot of different jobs, like working for my dad’s heating firm or for a marketing company last winter to get some pocket money to keep me going.”
Alker, who took a break from the Web.com Tour in America to try to qualify, had rounds of 68 and 71 to play in The Open for a fourth time and a first appearance since finishing in the top-20 at Royal Lytham & St Annes four years ago.
Jack Senior shot 69 and 70 to lead the qualifiers at Hillside on five under par, leaving five players to play-off for the two remaining places. The Challenge Tour player from Lancashire had a rollercoaster day, with two double bogeys on the short 10th and eagle and ten birdies in his two rounds.
Hull amateur Steven Robins was first to lose out in the play-off with a bogey at the first, then Boston professional Dave Coupland claimed the first place with a birdie at the second play-off hole. Paul Howard, a 25-year-old from Southport & Ainsdale, took the third and final play-off spot at the fourth extra hole, sinking a birdie putt from seven feet to end the hopes of Scott Arnold and Jay Taylor.