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Scotsman
42 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Lee Westwood seals Open return after 4,700-mile trip from Dallas to Dundonald
Scottish duo also secure spots through Ayrshire qualifier Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... He'd travelled 4,700 miles from Dallas to Dundonald, hadn't played the Ayrshire course before and only got one-and-a-half hour's sleep. Despite all that, Lee Westwood is heading to Royal Portrush in a fortnight's time to tee up in the 153rd Open. After showing his class by posting rounds of 70 and 67 for a seven-under-par total, the 52-year-old Englishman claimed top spot in one of four Final Qualifiers, securing his 28th appearance in the Claret Jug event and a 93rd start in a major. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lee Westwood acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green following his second round ion The Open Final Qualifier at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire | R&A via Getty Images Scottish duo Daniel Young and Connor Graham, Spaniard Angel Hidalgo and Swede Jesper Sandborg secured the other spots up for grabs at Dundonald Links, but, on a day when he was followed by a large crowd from start to finish, it was Westwood who undoubtedly took pride of place. 'Not really that tough,' he said of making 27 successive starts in the world's oldest major before seeing that run ended in 2023 then sitting it out again last year. 'If I'd have wanted to play in them that badly, I would have come along and tried to qualify. But this time around, I thought, why not? 'I only made up my mind last week really. Didn't get in until seven o'clock last night from Texas. I hadn't played the golf course before and walked it last night. I only had an hour and a half sleep last night as well. So if I collapse, then you'll know why (laughing). 'Yeah, it's a strange route, isn't it? Dallas to Dundonald. Obviously it's not the ideal preparation, but it's the greatest championship in the world and I felt like I've played well the last few tournaments on LIV with a 62 and finishing tenth in Washington. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I played solidly last week and there was a bit of breeze blowing and felt like my game was in decent shape. So I thought, come along and give myself an opportunity. You don't want to turn up at qualifiers if you haven't got plenty of game, but I felt like I'd got plenty of game. It was just not knowing the golf course that was really the conundrum for me.' His morning effort contained an eagle at the third but also a double-bogey 7 at the 14th. In a polished afternoon performance, he made birdies at the tenth and 11th going out before adding gains at the second, third, fifth and seventh coming home. His sole dropped shot came at the par-4 13th. 'Good but tired,' he said with a smile in reply to being asked how he felt. 'It's a while since I've played 36 holes in a day and didn't really give myself the best chance, really. The first time I played it was this morning and that was the second time. 'There were times out there where there were a couple of club winds and I get the feeling that you can score around the front nine and you have to hold on around the back. I was quite happy getting through the back nine in one under par this afternoon and three-under for the tournament and then feeling like I could put my foot down around the back nine.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lee Westwood watches a tee shot in the first round at Dundonald Links | Ross Parker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images Westwood, who now plays for Majesticks in the LIV Golf League, finished a distant runner-up to Louis Oosthuizen in the 2010 event at St Andrews while he was joint-third in both 2009 and 2013 at Turnberry and Muirfield respectively. 'I've always said it's the greatest championship in golf,' said the former world No 1. 'As a British player, you get phenomenal support and I really enjoyed Portrush last time (in 2019). I finished fourth and played nicely, so I'll be looking forward to going back there. There's no walk like walking down the 18th in an Open with the stands surrounding the 18th green.' Asked about his expectations - Justin Rose finished runner-up at Royal Troon last year after coming through Final Qualifying - Westwood replied: 'I won't really have any. I'm playing at Valderrama next week in LIV and I'll try and sharpen my game up. I'm looking forward to the next few days having some time off. I'll work on my swing a little bit, keep working on my putting. Putting was good today. 'And maybe turn up at Portrush on the Tuesday afternoon! I feel like I've played it before. I can get a practise round in on Tuesday afternoon and then maybe play nine holes on Wednesday and try and be as fresh as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think of any major championship, you can compete on links courses. I think Tom Watson proved that around Turnberry in 2009 and then Greg Norman a couple of years later at Birkdale. I think if any form of golf gives seniors a chance, it's links golf because you get a bit of run on the ball and you have to use a bit of cunning and guile with the wind.' Daniel Young maintained his recent sparkling form on the HotelPlanner Tour to secure his Open debut | Getty Images Maintaining his recent sparkling form, having recorded back-to-back top-five finishes on the HotelPlanner Tour, Young progressed on six under along with playing partner Hidalgo, the Spaniard roaring with delight as the Perth man finished with a birdie on the ninth as he added a 67 to a morning 71. 'Absolutely,' said Young of feeling he could come through the test. 'I've been playing great the last month. I finally had a nice result to back it up and then followed it up last week with another good week. I've played well around here before, coming close last year, so I feel quite comfortable on the golf course. 'I know the scoring never gets probably as low as people might think. It's a tricky enough course and they set up a few tricky enough pins today. So, yeah, you've just got to be pretty patient like I was this morning when I didn't probably have my best stuff. And then I strung together just a lovely round this afternoon.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Blairgowrie amateur Connor Graham secured his spot at Royal Portrush through a play-off in Ayrshire | The R&A Graham, the 18-year-old Blairgowrie amateur, secured the final spot as he birdied the first extra hole in a play-off with Tartan Tour stalwart Paul O'Hara. 'It feels pretty good and I am delighted,' said Graham, the 2022 Junior Open champion. 'It was pretty nervy in the play-off but, thankfully, I got the job done.' He'd played with Westwood and Jamie Donaldson earlier in the day. 'There were big crowds following us and I managed to deal with the pressure I was under pretty good and that definitely helped me in the play-off,' he said with a smile.
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lee Westwood's mad dash from Dallas to Dundonald pays off as he rolls back the years to secure a place at The Open
Lee Westwood brushed off jetlag and a lack of sleep to clinch a place in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush later this month. The Englishman played in the LIV Golf event in Texas last weekend, before making a mad dash from Dallas to Dundonald to compete in final qualifying. He arrived in Scotland late on Monday night and was functioning on barely a couple of hours' sleep by the time he teed it up Tuesday morning. But the former Ryder Cup star rolled back the years in front of bumper crowds at the Ayrshire venue, carding two rounds of 70 and 67 to finish top of the pile on seven-under par. With the top five players securing a spot at Portrush, it was Scotland's Daniel Young, Spain's Angel Hidalgo and Sweden's Jesper Sandborg who also prevailed alongside Westwood. The final spot saw two Scots go head-to-head in a sudden-death play-off, with teenage amateur Connor Graham beating Paul O'Hara in dramatic fashion. Former World No 1 Westwood can now look forward to another crack at finally winning his first major and the grand old age of 52 - and he is confident he can compete. 'Yeah, it feels great, but I'm also really tired,' said Westwood. 'It's a while since I've played 36 holes in a day and I didn't really give myself the best chance in terms of preparation. 'I only made my mind up last week that I was definitely going to play. I didn't get in until seven o'clock on Monday night after flying from Texas. It's a strange route - Dallas to Dundonald. 'I had never played the course before, so walked it once I arrived. We got wet on the last four holes, good old Scotland raining on me. I think we got off the course about quarter past nine or something. 'But I ended up only getting an hour-and-a-half of sleep due to the jetlag. So, if I end up collapsing, you will know why. 'I've always said, The Open is the greatest championship in golf. As a British player, you get phenomenal support and I really enjoyed Portrush last time in 2019. 'I finished fourth and played nicely, so I'll be looking forward to going back there. For me, it's in the top three links courses in the British Isles. 'Qualifiers have won it before (Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999). I'm not necessarily going with any expectations but, of any major championships, I do think you can compete on links courses. 'Tom Watson proved that around Turnberry in 2009 and then Greg Norman a couple of years later at Royal Birkdale. 'I think if any form of golf gives seniors a chance, it's links golf because you get a bit of run on the ball and you have to use a bit of cunning and guile with the wind. 'I'm just looking forward to enjoying the week at Portrush and seeing a few old friends and enjoying that golf course.' This will be Westwood's 93rd major championship, the most appearances of any player without having won one of the game's biggest prizes. It will also be his 28th Open Championship. He can boast a stellar record, with five top-five finishes, although a Claret Jug has always narrowly escaped his grasp. It was something of a full circle moment for Westwood, with his first crack at Open qualifying back in 1994 ending in heartbreak at nearby Kilmarnock Barassie. 'I am 52 now, I'm not getting any younger,' he said. 'I was looking at the course next door (Barassie) and I think I tried to qualify around there in 1994. 'I remember hitting a sprinkler and bouncing through the back of the green and then losing out in a play-off. 'I qualified the following year in 1995 at Leven and then played something like 25 or 26 consecutive Open Championships, so it's nice to be back playing in it again after missing the last couple. 'I've finished second, I've finished third a couple of times, I've finished fourth a couple of times, I've had a lot of top 10s. 'I really enjoy playing links golf. It tests you like the week in, week out golf doesn't. You've got to use your imagination a lot more imagination around the greens. 'There's no walk like walking down the 18th in an Open Championship with the stands surrounding the 18th green.' After finishing one shot back from Westwood, Scotland's Young can now look forward to making his Open debut in a couple of weeks. 'I've played well around here before, so I feel quite comfortable on the golf course,' said the Perth man. 'I know the scoring never gets probably as low as people might think. It's a tricky enough course and they set up a few tricky enough pins today. 'So, yeah, you've just got to be pretty patient like I was this morning when I didn't probably have my best stuff. 'And then I strung together just a lovely round this afternoon. It's a big step in my career. 'I've got a big second half of the year coming up and hopefully I'll start with a good week at Portrush.' Hidalgo and Sandborg both finished on six-under and five-under respectively, with 18-year-old amateur Graham pipping fellow Scot O'Hara after a birdie at the first hole in a play-off. 'I am delighted,' said the youngster from Blairgowrie, who plays on the college circuit in America. 'It was pretty nervy in the play-off but, thankfully, I got the job done. There were big crowds following us (his group with Westwood and Jamie Donaldson). 'I managed to deal with the pressure I was under pretty good and that definitely helped me in the play-off.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Lee Westwood books Open return but Ian Poulter and son Luke miss out
However, his former Ryder Cup and current LIV Golf team-mate Ian Poulter and his son Luke – and Portrush-born ex-US Open champion Graeme McDowell – all came up short in their bids to make the final major of the year. Westwood, 52, who has played in golf's oldest championship 27 times previously, finished top at Dundonald Links after posting seven under for 36 holes. Westwood had flown in from Dallas where he had been competing in Sunday's LIV Golf event. 'I've been up since half-past one this morning with jet lag so I was starting to feel it,' said Westwood, whose move to the Saudi Arabia breakaway series removed his chances of qualifying for majors through regular tour events. 'I haven't tried to qualify for the last couple of years for one reason or another. 'Royal Portrush is a fantastic golf course and I played well there last time, finished fourth in 2019, so that was another reason to come and play. 'The Open Championship is the greatest tournament on the golfing calendar. I'm not getting any younger, I'm 52 now.' Poulter at least finished the day with some pride intact as, having trailed Luke all day in the scoring, finished level with his 21-year-old son on one under. Luke followed an opening 67 with a 76 at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent, with his dad shooting 72-71, as they and McDowell finished just short. 'I played good on the first 18, the last 18 not great,' said Luke.
