Final Qualifying for The 152nd Open Championship took place last week, with three players on the 2024 Road to Mallorca earning their place, and a major debut, at Royal Troon next week.
Sam Hutsby
Sam Hutsby delivered an impressive 36-hole performance at Dundonald Links to punch his ticket to Royal Troon, carding just one bogey in rounds of 67-69 to finish eight under par, three strokes ahead of the field and tied for the lowest score across all four qualifying venues.
The 37-year-old, who has over one hundred DP World Tour starts in his career, had been working in a golf shop as recently as two years ago but has since revived his career, winning his second Challenge Tour title at last year’s Andalucía Challenge de Cádiz, nine years after his first victory.
The Englishman, qualifying for his first major, described it as a "childhood dream." Hutsby, however, is no stranger to the big stage, having represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup in 2009 and after reaching the final of the Amateur Championship the same year.
Jack McDonald
Jack McDonald’s qualification for The Open was also secured at Dundonald Links, though the Scotsman needed a birdie in the first play-off hole to beat compatriot Daniel Young and Swede Tim Widing to the final spot.
The 31-year-old grew up a few miles from Royal Troon, plays at nearby Barassie, and will follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Gordan Cosh, who played the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry and is an honorary member at Royal Troon, when he tees it up in Ayrshire next week.
McDonald’s course knowledge and experience of the local conditions, gained through playing at Royal Troon as a teenager and in the 2012 Amateur Championship, where he reached the semi-finals, will be invaluable in his first major start.
Charlie Lindh
Charlie Lindh sealed his major debut through a three-way play-off at Burnham and Berrow after rounds of 67-70 tied him for third with DP World Tour winners Anirban Lahiri from India and Mexican Abraham Ancer after 36 holes.
The Swede, who earned automatic promotion to the Challenge Tour last year with three wins on the Nordic Golf League, held his nerve to make par on the first extra hole and secure his spot at Royal Troon alongside Ancer.
