FORMAT: 18-hole stroke play
A scintillating back nine from Lancashire county champion Harry Lord at The Oaks yesterday ensured he qualified for next week’s English Men’s Stroke Play Championship (Brabazon Trophy) in some style.
The Rossendale player bagged a couple of ‘tap-in’ eagles on the Yorkshire course on his way to coming home in 29 (-7) at Northern Qualifying.
Overall he posted an eight-under-par 64 to finish one clear of Castle Eden’s Thomas Harbord… all that coming after the 20-year-old Lincoln Memorial student bogeyed the first two holes.
The leading 30 players made it through to next week’s showpiece at Ganton (August 19-22), joining 19 who did likewise from the Midlands event at Spalding and 24 from the Southern Qualifier at Brokenhurst Manor (see results below for full list of qualifying players).
Lord will tee it up at Ganton in excellent form. His efforts at The Oaks followed on from his 66 (-6) at The Manchester when he had the best first round at the England Golf Northern Counties qualifier representing Lancashire.
“I am hitting the ball well and playing golf in the right way,” said Lancashire county champion Lord.
“But it was soft conditions (at The Oaks) and there was a good one out there.”
Eight under, which is his joint lowest score in tournament golf, looked a long way off after he found trees with both his opening drives.
However a run of birdies (at four, six and seven) got his round back on track before it exploded into life after turning in 35.
At the long par three 11th he stuck one to 15 feet and rolled in the putt before firing an 8 iron to two feet at the par five next and the eagle got him to four under.
That quickly became five under as he took full advantage of the short par four 13th and at the 15th he narrowly missed out on completing a full set of twos on the par threes as his eight-footer shaved the hole.
He also birdied 16 before coming within milimetres of holing his second shot at the last but another ‘easy’ eagle putt took him top of the leaderboard.
Runner-up Harbord also had a memorable day. The County Durham player went bogey-free in compiling a seven-under-par 65.