Delight and despair Mixed emotions for Manley at the Open
STUART Manley’s first venture into major championship golf brought him one day of delight and another of dismay.
For a short while on the opening day of the British Open at Royal Birkdale, the 38-year-old from Aberdare was the tournament leader.
Despite difficult conditions and competing at this level for the first time, Manley, with the help of an eagle and birdie on the last two holes, fired a two-under-par round of 68 which for a time put his name on top of the leaderboard.
His performance delighted his family and friends and attracted national attention.
Even though he was overhauled later in the day, he still finished the first round sharing 12th place just three shots off the lead.
But Manley, born in Mountain Ash, wasn’t able to match that high standard on day two, again played in windy and wet conditions.
A nightmare run of five holes in which he dropped eight shots saw him finish with an 81 which put him out of contention.
That meant that he finished on a nine-over-par total of 149 and missed the cut for the final two rounds despite finishing ahead of several former champions.
Nevertheless, Manley, a professional since 2003 and ranked 520th in the world, will be delighted to have had this experience of playing for the first time at golf’s top table.
And he’ll always remember the time when he led the British Open!