The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lee and Whiteford in hunt for Open places
GOLF: Former tour pros stay move step closer to claiming berth in field for Royal Portrush
Former European Tour pros Craig Lee and Peter Whiteford were two of the 10 players to advance from the Open Championship’s round of regional qualifying in brutal weather conditions at Panmure Golf Club in Barry yesterday.
Heavy rain and strong winds left three players leading the qualifying competition with level par rounds of 70 and one player – Bulgaria’s Michael Kanev – returning a 20-over total of 90.
Sweden’s Anton Hansson, a 23-yearold Swede based in Florida, the Scottish amateur international from Forres Jeff Wright and Lawrence Allan, a former Scottish junior cap from the Alva club in Clackmannanshire, led the qualifiers.
Lee, who had four solid seasons on the European Tour including being runner-up to Thomas Bjorn in the European Masters in 2013, shared fourth spot with the former Scotland amateur international from Perthshire Daniel Young, who is now based at Kingbarns Golf Links.
The remaining four qualifiers on two-over-par 72s included Fife’s Whiteford, now 38, who had six seasons on the European Tour from 2008 to 2014, coming closest to a victory when he lost a play-off in the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea in 2013 to Australian Brett Rumford.
Paul McKechnie, a Scottish PGA professional who came through from both regional and final qualifying to play in the Open in 2014 at Hoylake, also came through on two-over.
There was frustration for Carnoustie amateur and former Scottish Boys champion Will Porter, who missed out by a single shot in 11th place.
Two more Scots came through at Berwick-on-Tweed, Liberton amateur Keiran Cantley and Dunbar professional Neil Fenwick first and second at the borders venue.
Scottish and GB&I amateur cap Ryan Lumsden, one of the leading players on the US college circuit, went through to the final qualifying stages with a fiveunder 67 at Burhill in Surrey.
Yesterday’s successful competitors move on to next week’s final qualifying series over 36 holes at four venues across the country, with the Scottish host for the first time this year a composite course from the two at the Fairmont St Andrews resort.
Only 12 places – three from each course – in the field at Royal Portrush next month are available from nearly 400 entrants next Tuesday.