US OPEN QUALIFIER - WALTON HEATH RESULTS
A sensational afternoon round of 65 saw England’s James Morrison come out on top at the US Open Qualifier at Walton Heath.
Morrison, who claimed his maiden European Tour title in Madeira earlier in the season, will feature in his first Major Championship when he heads to Pebble Beach next month.
The youngster from Surrey finished on 11 under par, two shots clear of Argentina’s Rafael Echenique and a further shot clear of England’s Gary Boyd, Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Wales’ Rhys Davies and Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin.
The remaining five slots were decided by a play-off between Grégory Havret, Miko Ilonen, Simon Khan, Rikard Karlberg, Jean-François Lucquin, Pablo Martin, with Khan – who admitted to feeling weary after his exertions at the BMW PGA Championship – the man to miss out.
Morrison said: “I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve only ever seen Pebble Beach on the television, and it looks incredible. So I can’t wait. It’s been a great season already – it’s been a bit unexpected, but I’m learning and growing in confidence all the time. I’m starting to feel much more comfortable out here now, and that shows in my results.”
Morrison was joined in the automatic qualification places by two of his fellow graduates from the 2009 Challenge Tour in Boyd and Davies, whilst Cabrera-Bello, Echenique and Maybin also secured their places on the top tier through the Challenge Tour in previous years.
Cabrera-Bello said: “I’m really excited, because it’s my first Major. Pebble Beach is a great course, so it’s a dream to get the chance to get there. I got a bit ahead of myself this morning, but in the afternoon I stayed patient and got my rewards in the end. My putts for birdie and eagle on the 12th and 13th holes this afternoon were the key.”
His sentiments were echoed by Davies, who did his hard work in the morning with a round of 66.
He said: “I played pretty well in both rounds – I just felt really comfortable. Pebble Beach is meant to be a great course, so I can’t wait to see it for myself. It’s already been a great first season for me, and it’s about to get a whole lot better. My main focus has been to get into the big tournaments, because that’s where you want to be. Hopefully I’ll do myself justice.”
Maybin’s round of 65 was the joint lowest of the afternoon, although his effort was perhaps the more impressive given that he was playing the tougher Old Course.
He said: “I played poorly this morning, but I changed my driver for the second round, and it seemed to do the job. It was one of my better decisions on a golf course. One of my goals at the start of the season was to get into a Major, so I’m pretty pleased I managed to accomplish it.”
The top six will be making their US Open debuts, as will Karlberg, who claimed his maiden professional title on the Asian Tour earlier in the season.
The Swede missed a short putt on the 36th hole which would have seen him qualify automatically, but soon shrugged off the disappointment with a 20 foot putt for birdie on the first play-off hole.
“I got a good read on the line, and the only thing in my mind was to sink the putt. I didn’t know if it was enough because I didn’t know what the guys in front of me had done. But I had a fair idea, so it was a great feeling. I think we’re going to have a bit of a party tonight!”
Havret, Ilonen, Lucquin and Martin also made birdie, meaning Khan, whose 15-foot birdie rolled past the hole, was the man to miss out.
"It's unbelievable - I thought one of them would miss," said the 37 year old from Essex.
Khan might still earn a place in the second major of the year as the first reserve from the course, but having changed his life by winning the European Tour's flagship event at the weekend - first prize was €750,000 - there will be no tears if that does not happen.
He had earlier shot rounds of 67 and 70 for a seven under par total after showing real professionalism getting up at 6am the morning after the memorable night before.
"I had a few legless shots this afternoon," he said, referring to fatigue rather than a hangover. "Swing-wise I'm delighted with how I played, but I couldn't focus on the greens."
