There will be no British amateur in The Open for the first time since 2012 after many of the big professional names rose to the occasion in Final Qualifying yesterday.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
Dozens of the country’s leading amateurs bid for one of 19 qualifying spots across the four Final Qualifying venues – West Lancashire, Royal Cinque Ports, Royal Porthcawl and Dundonald Links.
Only one amateur made it through in total. The German Tiger Christensen finished fifth at West Lancs and only six amateurs are currently in line to appear at Royal Liverpool later this month (July 20-23). 2022 US Amateur champion Sam Bennett has recently turned professional, forfeiting his exemption.
For most of the day there were plenty in with a chance right up until the final few hours.
Notably at Royal Porthcawl, where big-hitting Laurie Canter stormed to victory by four shots, Wellington College teacher Freddie Edmunds was a serious contender. With the cut coming at -1, he was on target to make it for most of the day but five bogeys in his final seven holes meant he finished two over par and in a tie for 17th.
List of amateurs in the 151st Open:
• Jose Luis Ballester (Spain) – European Amateur champion
• Harrison Crowe (Australia) – Asia-Pacific Amateur champion
• Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Argentina) – Latin America champion
• Christo Lamprecht (South Africa) – Amateur champion
• Alex Maguire (Ireland) – Open Amateur Series winner
• Tiger Christensen (Germany) – Qualified in 5th at West Lancs Final Qualifying
At Royal Cinque Ports it very much went as expected with the likes of former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Thomas Detry making it in.
However there was an excellent effort from Cheshire junior Dan Hayes. Fresh from his runner-up finish in the England U-18s, the Bramhall teenager got to one under with nine to go but bogeys on 11, 12 and 14 killed his hopes and he eventually finished in a tie for seventh.
The low-scoring venue proved to be West Lancs where Matt Wallace closed out with a 65 to lead on 11 under. The numerous British amateurs in the field struggled to get anywhere near that kind of mark. Pyle and Kenfig’s Tim Harry led the way on two under, the Welsh international shooting rounds of 72 and 70.
The closest call came in Scotland at Dundonald Links, the one venue to have just four qualifying spots.
There Nairn’s Calum Scott was near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day and a bogey on 17 cost him a play-off chance. As it was three players finished on the three-under cut mark with local pro Graeme Robertson and Australia’s Connor McKinney making it in via sudden death.