The Open Qualifying for this year’s tournament at Royal Troon presented a spectacle as seasoned professionals and emerging talents vied for coveted spots.
Fierce Competition at The Open Qualifying
A total of 16 players earned their places at The Open through the Final Qualifying events held at four UK venues. Each site offered four spots, with notable performances at Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. At Burnham & Berrow, former US Open champion Justin Rose and English amateur Dominic Clemons each scored eight under par to qualify. Dundonald saw triumphs from Sam Hutsby, Angel Hidalgo, Liam Nolan, and Jack McDonald, while Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire witnessed strong showings from Matthew Southgate and Sam Horsfield among others.
Justin Rose Returns to The Open
Justin Rose secured his place at The Open by delivering remarkable rounds of 66 and 68 at Burnham & Berrow. The former US Open champion reaffirmed his status among the elite, stating, “The Open’s been a bit of a fairytale and love story for me since I was 14 and I qualified at Scotscraig. Obviously there was winning the Silver Medal at Royal Birkdale a couple of years later, so The Open has always been super special.“ Furthermore he says: “Sometimes you take it for granted – you’re exempt, you turn up and play for many years, but as you get older, things get a little harder so in some ways it’s good to have to qualify because it makes you appreciate The Open a little more and how special it is. Coming back to Burnham & Berrow was also special – first time back here since ’97. I was grateful to be back here and walk down memory lane.”
Abraham Ancer also secured his spot in a tense playoff, overcoming a triple bogey late in his second round to qualify. Ancer commented on his experience to Mirror Sports US, saying, “It was definitely a rollercoaster but it made it even sweeter going into the playoff and getting the job done.”
Sergio Garcia Misses The Open Again
For the second consecutive year, Sergio Garcia narrowly missed out on qualifying for The Open. Competing at West Lancashire, Garcia finished three under par, falling short by two strokes. His frustration was evident as he faced slow play warnings and struggled with crowd control, which disrupted his concentration.
Sergio Garcia furious at his slow play warning at Final Open Qualifying – saying fans are causing the delays. Here he is taking his anger out at two R&A officials.
“You’re right, we’re always wrong.” pic.twitter.com/hO2mzYgSRa — Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) July 2, 2024
Garcia expressed his disappointment, noting, “When you have 2,000 people following us with no ropes, nothing. The marshals were trying to do as good a job as they could do but obviously we had to stop pretty much on every tee for two or three minutes to hit our tee shots because people were walking in front of the tee and on the fairway.”