LAST CHANCES TO PLAY IN THE OPEN | Open Final Qualifying Highlights

LAST CHANCES TO PLAY IN THE OPEN | Open Final Qualifying Highlights

Got to be old. [Applause] Yeah, delighted. Uh, but a little bit tired. Uh, I’ve come, you know, the the red eye from Dallas, Texas, and didn’t get in until 7:00 last night. I’d not played the golf course before, and unfortunately, I only had about an hour and a half sleep last night with the jet lag, but managed to tee it up this morning, and uh, I played quite nicely today and a lot of good shots. I managed it well. Um, I was conservative when I needed to be, and I I played the power five as well. So yeah, I’m really pleased. Well, it is the greatest championship for me uh on the on the golfing calendar, you know, especially being a British player playing in front of the British fans. Um I I’ve always said the walk up the 18th, you know, open championship with the stands all around you with those yellow scoreboards, there’s no walk like it. I feel really good. It’s really happy the way I control the the nerve sometimes, especially in the bag nine. But yeah, really happy and I can’t wait. It means a lot obviously uh being a Spaniard and being European player. We dream to play the open and obviously will be my second major my second open. So yeah means a lot and I can’t I really can’t wait to to arrive there.
Conor Graeme and Paul O’Hara. These two players are required to take part in a sudden death playoff to determine the final qualifier into the 153rd Open. delighted. Yeah, it’s definitely been a dream of mine for a while to try and qualify for this and thankfully done it this year and kind of get in there this year will be good. Uh it was definitely nervy. You know, I had a a good weight, you know, kind of after I finished. So, it was, you know, had to kind of loosen off again, hit a few balls before kind of playing.
Yeah, I lost in a playoff unfortunately last year at this very venue. So, it was uh yeah, it was nice to come back and and obviously get the job done without the stress of a playoff. Yeah, it was a great round and I managed to um finish off with a birdie there just to to make sure there was no no repeat of a playoff again like last year. I was playing with Angel who yeah he I think he made a two on his last hole to to knock well whoever it was the three of us into the playoffs. So, um yeah, it was nice to sort of play with him. He was pushing me on there at the end as well. We obviously we both of us played great all day. So we were kind of was it was nice to sort of feed off each other and things like that as we went round. As we said, it’s probably the the biggest championship in the world. It’s certainly from being from the UK and Scotland. It’s you go to the open as a kid and growing up playing golf. So it’s um yeah, it’s just amazing to to qualify for one and yeah, just really looking forward to getting to Port Rush. Come on. the team from England.
I would say it was it was an amazing experience. I’ve never been here before. I was a bit disappointed obviously with kind of how I played. I didn’t I didn’t actually strike the ball that badly, but I hold almost nothing um until probably the last quarter of the round and then it was a it was a little bit too late. So felt like I was trading war a bit. But honestly, just to to be here and to to have that chance, to have that experience has been Yeah, it’s been great. It’s been fantastic.
Probably the biggest surprise really was just how how nervous I felt. I felt pretty calm coming into it and then as soon as I got on that first green, it was uh yeah, it was scary. I mean, I was playing with Mark Warren and Jack Senior as well, so two pretty well established European tour professionals. So, to kind of see them play and to go around with them was a was a great experience. I’ve been working on some stuff technically the last couple of weeks that’s just taken its time to uh to reappear. So, it felt like I was able to capture, you know, didn’t have to press too hard and I was just able to hit really smart shots in the middle of the green and and uh nearly keep a bogey fresh. Anytime you can play an open championship, it’s a it’s a really special um event to play. You know, I think I’ve been lucky enough to play I think four of them now and yeah, it’s it’s a real privilege when you get to play, you know, amazing leagues golf course against the best players in the world. So yeah, really thrilled to be going back. [Applause] Unreal. I mean on the in the first play of O the the game was kind of over. I hit two bad shots. Second one from the bunker to like 30 to 40 ft. Made that one and then the game was again it was everything was possible. And then straight away I’m the second player for making the 15 footer. I mean it’s unreal. Year ago I was close to quitting and uh it’s and now finished really well on the hotel planet tour and got my DP card and first year on DP has been really really nice and now this I don’t I don’t know what to say. It it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but um it will in a little bit and um there’s going to be a lot of emotion when that happens. My family is going to be delighted they’re going to be there and um it’s a dream come true. Exine is the is the biggest word. Um just be a childhood dream like yeah, dream come true, I suppose. Um yeah, when it sinks in, I’ll know I’ll be very excited and I’ll be counting down the days and uh really really really looking forward to it. It doesn’t feel real, man. Feels like I’m in stuck in a beat. I think I It just hasn’t kicked in yet. I mean, it’s it’s never over until it’s over. I mean, I knew that part on 18 was so important. So, just the double bogey and uh glad I made it. [Applause] I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. It just disappears. It was just an unbelievable feeling. Everyone dreams of uh playing in a major. I mean, I I to be honest, I didn’t really think I’d ever play in a major, but here I am. So, excited. It’s one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played. Um it was just flawless from the get-go this afternoon. had a lovely lunch in the clubhouse, went out, hit a few balls, and then yeah, I mean, from from basically the first hole, I mean, I was looked like every putt was going to go in and that’s pretty much what happened for the next 17 holes. So, yeah, super chuffed with the way it’s it’s turned out. Um, you know, it was a goal of mine to get it get to Port Rush and uh yeah, now I’m excited. Now I got to go find some accommodation. Yeah, kind of a bit of a loss for words at the moment to kind of describe it, but yeah, absolutely buzzing. Dreamed of playing the open and and majors and stuff. So, um yeah, really looking forward to to getting out there and playing. trying to keep energy levels up for the entire day. And um yeah, obviously coming in especially here on that back nine where you’re playing back into the wind, you know, for your sort of, you know, last nine holes of 36 is really tough just to keep the morale up and um yeah, just keep fighting and battling all the way to the end, which thankfully I managed to do. It is unbelievable. It’s a great sporting story. So I was talking to your dad, Alex, on the way round and he said that you qualified through qualifying for Royal Port Rush. Is it right? You were the youngest guy in the in the field that time
believe so. Yeah. Yeah. Just 18, freshfaced. So, um
yeah, it was crazy. I don’t know what other ages guys were, but yeah, just just a kid. Still an amateur. I had a really tough season last year and you know, assessed everything, had a bit of time off and and just you know, I could have quit to be honest. You know, everything it was bad. It was bad and um I stuck in there, made a few changes and been doing some good work since the start of the year. So, um, just just know a bit more now. You know, I’ve stopped looking at just trying to prepare for this event and that event and actually just think right every, you know, every round of golf is a practice round and I’m just trying to, you know, play, assess, practice, repeat. Um, so we’ll see where it takes me, but, you know, I want to keep going up and hopefully this is the the turnaround I needed.
Yeah, it feels great. Um, yeah, I’m not really too sure, yeah, what’s going on really, but um, yeah, it feels great. It’s Yeah, it just shows all the hard work put in paid paid me off eventually. So, yeah, I did I had the old man on the bag. Um I always said um open qualify and he’d be on it. So, and he’ll be he’ll be on it at the open. So, I’m sure he’s uh I’m sure he’s smiling somewhere. Yeah, I’ve been playing well. Not really results based, but been playing nicely. Um yeah, I just had no expectations and just came out here shot by shot and and yeah, there we are. That was uh one of the big goals for the year was to qualify for the Open. I’ve been to final qualifying quite a few times. I can’t think how many years, more than half a dozen times, I think. Came within one shot a few years ago. So, uh yeah, it’d be uh be awesome to get to play in my first major.
Yeah. I mean, I’ve been watching the Open since 2005. Um obviously being British, that’s the one that you everyone wants to play in and win, isn’t it? So, um to get obviously opportunity to go and play in it’s going to be going to be pretty awesome. pretty happy. Uh obviously excited for uh for in two weeks time. Yeah, it’s nice once you once you get a taste of of those um major championships, you want to you want to be playing them all. So um it’s why you know we go to the qualifiers as well um to try and get back there. It’s it’s an awesome experience last year. Um so I’m really looking forward to uh to getting there again. Yeah, it feels amazing. Super excited. Even though I hadn’t seen the course before, I had Matt Riches on the bag who I grew up with and he’s played the course, you know, a lot of times and felt really confident. I was playing some nice golf and uh I think that showed on the course. Played really nice. kind of didn’t have a good middle stretch, but had a good attitude out there and yeah, two 67s. Yeah, it means a lot just to be able to play against the best in the world in a big tournament. Uh this will be my first open and hopefully uh it will be a a great week that continues my success this year. Lovely to see all these obviously selling in a little bit. Obviously, I I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day. I had no idea. Obviously, I knew I was playing well. I didn’t know where I stood. You know, when you’re playing well, sometimes it feels a little bit easier than it really is. And I thought, well, maybe I still needed to put the the foot down and keep moving. And made a couple of bogeies on the back nine early and that kind of tightened me up a little bit. And I I was able to respond really well. And uh you know, and then when I obviously heard that I was I was uh through it was uh yeah, it just kind of all hit me at once. So, it was uh lovely to to experience some joy for a for a change. It’s been a tough tough couple of years with the golf. So, this is a this is wonderful.
Yeah,
you have a golf career and you look at it, I think I’m always my worst critic and I’ve always felt like I’ve underperformed and I haven’t played in a big enough events, enough of them. And uh I just felt like I was after last year, I came really close and I felt like I’d messed up the last two US Open qualifiers, too. And I just thought I’, you know, I was running out of opportunities playing majors and uh it’s the echelon of of the game and you want to be there if you know that’s what we work hard for and uh to be out there again and uh mixing it with the best is is is surreal.

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Final Qualifying for The 153rd Open is where careers change in a single day. Across four iconic venues — Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire — hundreds of hopefuls battled for a limited number of spots at Royal Portrush.

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