By Mathieu Wood
It was by no means the first time and certainly not the last but U.S. Open Final Qualifying threw up a series of fantastic storylines at Walton Heath.
Just hours on from the conclusion of the U.S. PGA Championship, focus quickly switched to next month’s third men’s Major of the year at Pinehurst No. 2 as three sites around the world hosted a final qualifier on Monday.
With Japan and the United States also hosting 36-hole events, 102 players battled for nine places in the late spring sunshine in Surrey over Walton Heath’s Old and New courses.
From Ryder Cup winners to household international figures to rising stars and a multiple DP World Tour winner teeing it up again after two years away, the field was packed full of intrigue for the 36-hole pressure cooker.
Robert Rock, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, stepped away from Tour golf in late 2022 to focus on a career as a coach but was back to doing what he did best for many years.
Alongside fellow Englishman James Morrison, his two ball drew a healthy following in the morning, with both players well placed after their first round.
But while Morrison was unable to kick on over his second 18, Rock defied his own expectations to card a flawless six-under-par 66 to seal an unlikely return to a Major – a first since The Open in 2019.
“I didn't have any thoughts of qualifying,” said a stunned Rock afterwards.
“It was my last chance at playing this event [and] a good opportunity to see where my game was having been out of it for two years.”
The sight of fans strolling down fairways, just metres away from the players as if they were visitors to their local club, makes for a special atmosphere.
While Rock had experienced it before, it was a new challenge for Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who is playing on the European Challenge Tour this season.
While crowds were sparse when he began in the first group out, at 6:30am the 31-year-old drew a crowd for his second round as a 66 saw him play his way to the top of the leaderboard.
“It really is unique,” said England’s Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who played his way into The Open last summer through Final Qualifying.
“I’d heard about it [the atmosphere] but this was my first time playing it. I was shocked by how many people were out there.”
Joining Robinson-Thompson, who is married to an American and has lived in the States for much of the last decade, in posting ten under par totals over their 36 holes were Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Richard Mansell.
For Forrest, qualification means he can look forward to his first Major appearance since The Open in 2018.
“It is great [to fly the flag for Scotland at Majors],” said the Scot, who played the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst as a junior.
“We have a lot of representation out here on the DP World Tour. But Bob is obviously the only one over in the States with Martin Laird as well, but the only one of our generation so it is good to get more of our guys playing in the biggest of events."
While it will also be his first Major stateside, the same cannot be said for Englishman Mansell, who qualified for The Open back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 either side of earning an exemption for the U.S. Open two years ago through performances at a series of events on the DP World Tour.
“I went over to Boston a couple of years ago and went in with completely the wrong mindset,” he reflected on that experience.
“It was my first U.S. Open. I was beat up before I even got there, and I hadn't even seen the course, so I am going to try and make my own plan this time.
“Obviously they are tough tests, but I am playing some good stuff, and it is another opportunity play with the worlds' best and that is where I want to be.”
There were also firsts to celebrate for Sam Bairstow, who is enjoying a fine rookie season on the DP World Tour, and Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin as the pair sealed their maiden Major debuts.
McKibbin missed out by one shot last year, and as the final groups neared a conclusion was refusing to think his job was done after reaching eight under as he walked in front of the clubhouse with his glove in his back pocket as if preparing himself for a play-off.
But when Casey Jarvis – the last likely obstacle for those at eight under – parred his final hole, he along with Italian pair Matteo Manassero and Edoardo Molinari and Australia’s Jason Scrivener could breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s remarkable to think that this time last year Manassero was struggling for form on the Challenge Tour before going on to win twice and earn promotion back to the DP World Tour, which has since yielded a long-awaited fifth title at that level.
For Molinari, Team Europe’s Ryder Cup Vice Captain, just his second appearance at a Major in almost a decade awaits, while Scrivener, who is yet to win on the DP World Tour, booked a return to the U.S. Open after missing the cut on his debut in 2018.
While the knowledge of missing out on qualifying was visibly gut wrenching for Jarvis as he headed to the recorders area after his second round, there was a measure of consolation for the South African as he secured the first alternate spot with Italian Andrea Pavan securing the other following a five-man play-off between those who finished at seven under.
On a day when a single bad hole can detail their hopes of a trip to a Major, they can now only wait in hope.
But for the nine players with their own fascinating backstories to emerge from the fierce competition of two rounds in one day, a visit to North Carolina to play one of the Unites States’ most revered courses awaits.
