Open Championship Final Qualifying - Who Made It And Who Missed Out?
A number of big names made it through to Royal Liverpool as Sergio Garcia came up short to miss his first Open since 1997
Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Michael Block were among some of the biggest names to miss out at Final Qualifying for the 151st Open, while a number of big names and local stars made it through to Royal Liverpool.
Royal Liverpool's own Matthew Jordan made it in for his second Major and second successive Open Championship after posting a 10-under total at West Lancs. The home favourite, who has been a member at Hoylake since his childhood, finished one behind recent PGA Tour winner and four-time DP World Tour victor Matt Wallace, who led the way at 11-under after rounds of 68 and 65.
West Lancs also saw South Africa's Kyle Barker make it through at 10-under, ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, younger brother of 2022 US Open champion Matt, who will play in his first ever Major in two weeks' time.
10 years ago yesterday I qualified for The Open for the first time. Today my brother does the same exact thing!! Couldn’t be prouder and can’t wait to play a major championship with him! pic.twitter.com/eKLEt0ElzqJuly 4, 2023
Tiger Woods isn't fit enough to play at Hoylake, where he won in 2006, but there will be a Tiger there in the form of German amateur Tiger Christensen, who carded rounds of 68 and 67 to join Fitzpatrick on nine-under.
Big crowds packed in to West Lancs to watch 2017 Masters champion and Ryder Cup record points scorer Sergio Garcia, who came up three shy. The Spaniard, who came through qualifying in Texas to make last month's US Open, shot six-under to finish T6th and three short of the five spots up for grabs. Garcia misses The Open for the first time since 1997.
Garcia's fellow Ryder Cupper and LIV player Graeme McDowell also missed out at West Lancs, coming up five short with a four-under 36-hole total.
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North of the border in Ayrshire, Michael Block failed to take one of the four spots on the Scottish links of Dundonald where rounds of 77 and 76 left him well off the pace. The PGA Championship club pro hero told Golf Monthly on Monday that comments about Rory McIlroy he made were "totally misconstrued", while also saying his game is in good shape.
Scotland's Michael Stewart led the way at Dundonald at seven-under, with England's Marco Penge taking the second of four spots at five-under. Australia's Connor McKinney came through at three-under, while Scotland's Graeme Roberston holed a monter putt on the fifth playoff hole to book his spot at Royal Liverpool.
Meanwhile at @DundonaldLinks, an epic play-off reached the fifth extra hole......before Graeme Robertson did this to qualify for The Open. pic.twitter.com/V0zwZBTMRdJuly 4, 2023
Down on the south-east coast of England at Royal Cinque Ports, South Africans took three of the five spots up for grabs including LIV players Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and Branden Grace, who famously became the first ever man to shoot 62 in a Major at the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale.
DP World Tour pros Thomas Detry and Antoine Rozner also made it through on the Kent coast.
In Wales at Royal Porthcawl, LIV golfer Laurie Canter led the way to make his second consecutive Open Championship. Canter, currently playing for Majesticks GC, won by a huge four strokes at eight-under-par after an excellent afternoon 65 to go with his 69 in the morning.
Fellow Englishmen Brandon Robinson Thompson, who now plays on the MENA Tour following the EuroPro Tour folding, finished second at four-under with fellow countryman Matt Southgate also qualifying at two-under. Southgate, who finished T6th at Royal Birkdale in 2017, will make his seventh Major appearance at Hoylake.
Jazz Janewattananond and Oliver Farr took the final two places at one-under following an agonising triple bogey at the last for Oliver Bekker, who would have got through with a par.
Dundonald Links
- -7 Michael Stewart (Scotland)
- -5 Marco Penge (England)
- -3 Connor McKinney (Australia)
- -3 Graeme Robertson (Scotland)
Royal Cinque Ports
- -3 Martin Rohwer (South Africa)
- -3 Thomas Detry (Belgium)
- -2 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)
- -2 Branden Grace (South Africa)
- -2 Antoine Rozner (France)
Royal Porthcawl
- -8 Laurie Canter (England)
- -4 Brandon Robinson Thompson (England)
- -2 Matthew Southgate (England)
- -1 Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand)
- -2 Oliver Farr (Wales)
West Lancashire
- -11 Matt Wallace (England)
- -10 Matthew Jordan (England)
- -10 Kyle Barker (South Africa)
- -9 Alex Fitzpatrick (England)
- -9 Tiger Christensen (a) (Germany)
View all the Open Championship Final Qualifying scores
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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