Open Qualifying

Anybody with a day off tomorrow who would like to watch some golf, there is regional qualifying for The Open at a number of locations.
Click Here

[Edit] Oops just also noticed that there is additionally International Final Qualifying at Sunningdale tomorrow.
Entry List

I see a Welsh guy had a 95 at Berwick.

Have they raised the handicap limit to 18!!

what is the criteria for getting into this qualifying round?

There was a 97 at Abridge, several scores over 90. Shocking, since I believe you have to be either scratch or a pro to enter. I did notice the guy who shot 97 was listed as affiliated to a recruitment agency, though, rather than a club, so presumably just some muppet who's declared himself a pro just for Poopie & giggles.

He is probably very busy coaching at a golf range.

There were plenty of DQs at The London club; wonder what was happening there?

I see Lee Bowyer and Gary O'Neill tried their luck there too and were unsuccessful in their attempts to qualify.

I think that you have to play off 3 or 4 to be able to have a go. There was a guy who managed to start quite a few rounds years ago but was hauled off after a few holes most times. I think he finished a couple of rounds well into the hundreds. He was something like a cabby who hardly played.

I would have thought that it shouldn't be that hard to check someone's hc now-a-days. So would guess that the low hc players are really that level.

Don't forget that the London Club is a modern course that they can really stretch for the big pros so could really spit out a few golfers. As well as the pressure of trying to qualify for the Open.

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:There were plenty of DQs at The London club; wonder what was happening there?

I see Lee Bowyer and Gary O'Neill tried their luck there too and were unsuccessful in their attempts to qualify.

Perhaps Bowyer was DQ'd for attempeting to hit one of his playing partners with a club!!

Just had a look at the entry form and you have to be scratch or better.

twoeightnine wrote:Just had a look at the entry form and you have to be scratch or better.

It's always been that but I'm surprised it's that high, given how the British Amateur was +2.9.

twoeightnine wrote:I think that you have to play off 3 or 4 to be able to have a go. There was a guy who managed to start quite a few rounds years ago but was hauled off after a few holes most times. I think he finished a couple of rounds well into the hundreds. He was something like a cabby who hardly played.

Maurice Flitcroft. I read his book, it's very amusing.

Wonder what Bowyer & O'Neill play off that they were able to attempt to qualify. 79 wasn't a bad effort from the pair of them.

super_realist wrote:

twoeightnine wrote:Just had a look at the entry form and you have to be scratch or better.

It's always been that but I'm surprised it's that high, given how the British Amateur was +2.9.

Was +2.9 the highest in the field or the criteria?

The reason could be due to field size; the Amateur could be limited to x number of participants due to the strokeplay qualifying and then the matchplay finals. The Open qualifying could probably entertain more entrants but then fewer qualifiers from each course go through to the next stages.

O'Neil is a member at The London and he's off scratch there. He's played a couple of EuroPro events too recently but he wasn't very successful.

+2.9 was the minimum handicap for entry, most were much much better. A friend of mine was =2.9 and was 92nd reserve. NOt sure there is such a thing as a true amateur at that level.

Perhaps being "Scratch" is a reflection of the "Open" nature of the Open. Wonder why more of these top amateurs don't try to get in and relative hackers like O'Neil and Bowyer can try out.

SR, if O'Neill is a "relative hacker" and he plays of scratch, do you then put yourself below that category and class yourself as a "proper hacker"?

Who do you mean by "top" amateur super? I think some get passes through this round of the qualifier straight in to the local final qualifying

Super, that's amazing. I wonder if they keep the handicap so low/high to restrict entries and that would stop them from turning another few hundred away.

Could also be due to the number of qualifying courses. There were 13 used at this first stage, with a high proportion being around London and the south of England. I think two were in the Midlands, two in the NW, one was close to the Scottish border, one in Scotland and one in Ireland.

EmmDee, I was talking about their handicaps in relation to those taking part in the British Amateur.

In comparison to those guys in the British Amateur, I am also a hacker, not a great deal worse than O'Neil.

In the entry form they seemed to indicate that they would add extra courses/days if it was over subscribed. I wonder whether that is a reflection that they want it to be a proper open or that they just want the £140 entries.

There's a long list - maybe 40 or more - of events that carry automatic entry into the Amateur Championship for the winners. Win one of those, and you get into the Amateur Championship.

There were plenty of guys in the Amateur playing off scratch or +1 because they won one of those events.

All that means it's harder for other guys to get in, that's why the limit was set so high this time for everyone else.

Just looking down the qualifiers and the name Warren Bennett jumped out-he was going to be a big name a few years ago Also Iain Pyman.

Hi Dyna, I remember those two names as well. Don't follow Challenge Tour or EuroPro so do wonder where and how these people get on. Pyman was Amateur Champion once I believe.