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Golf Monthly

Sport

Elliott Heath

Open Championship Final Qualifying - Who Made It And Who Missed Out?

Sergio Garcia Open Open Championship Royal Liverpool Final Qualifying LIV (Organization) Alex Fitzpatrick England Laurie Canter Matt Wallace

Four golfers in a montage and an Open Championship qualifying flag

Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Michael Block were among some of the biggest names to miss out at Final Qualifying for the 151st Open, while a number of big names and local stars made it through to Royal Liverpool.

Royal Liverpool's own Matthew Jordan made it in for his second Major and second successive Open Championship after posting a 10-under total at West Lancs. The home favourite, who has been a member at Hoylake since his childhood, finished one behind recent PGA Tour winner and four-time DP World Tour victor Matt Wallace, who led the way at 11-under after rounds of 68 and 65.

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West Lancs also saw South Africa's Kyle Barker make it through at 10-under, ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, younger brother of 2022 US Open champion Matt, who will play in his first ever Major in two weeks' time.

10 years ago yesterday I qualified for The Open for the first time. Today my brother does the same exact thing!! Couldn’t be prouder and can’t wait to play a major championship with him! pic.twitter.com/eKLEt0ElzqJuly 4, 2023

Tiger Woods isn't fit enough to play at Hoylake, where he won in 2006, but there will be a Tiger there in the form of German amateur Tiger Christensen, who carded rounds of 68 and 67 to join Fitzpatrick on nine-under.

Big crowds packed in to West Lancs to watch 2017 Masters champion and Ryder Cup record points scorer Sergio Garcia, who came up three shy. The Spaniard, who came through qualifying in Texas to make last month's US Open, shot six-under to finish T6th and three short of the five spots up for grabs. Garcia misses The Open for the first time since 1997.

Garcia was the star attraction at West Lancs, where his six-under-par total left him three shy of the qualifying spots (Image credit: Getty Images)

Garcia's fellow Ryder Cupper and LIV player Graeme McDowell also missed out at West Lancs, coming up five short with a four-under 36-hole total.

North of the border in Ayrshire, Michael Block failed to take one of the four spots on the Scottish links of Dundonald where rounds of 77 and 76 left him well off the pace. The PGA Championship club pro hero told Golf Monthly on Monday that comments about Rory McIlroy he made were "totally misconstrued", while also saying his game is in good shape.

Scotland's Michael Stewart led the way at Dundonald at seven-under, with England's Marco Penge taking the second of four spots at five-under. Australia's Connor McKinney came through at three-under, while Scotland's Graeme Roberston holed a monster putt on the fifth playoff hole to book his spot at Royal Liverpool.

Meanwhile at @DundonaldLinks, an epic play-off reached the fifth extra hole......before Graeme Robertson did this to qualify for The Open. pic.twitter.com/V0zwZBTMRdJuly 4, 2023

Down on the south-east coast of England at Royal Cinque Ports, South Africans took three of the five spots up for grabs including LIV players Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and Branden Grace, who famously became the first ever man to shoot 62 in a Major at the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale.

DP World Tour pros Thomas Detry and Antoine Rozner also made it through on the Kent coast.

In Wales at Royal Porthcawl, LIV golfer Laurie Canter led the way to make his second consecutive Open Championship. Canter, currently playing for Majesticks GC, won by a huge four strokes at eight-under-par after an excellent afternoon 65 to go with his 69 in the morning.

Fellow Englishmen Brandon Robinson Thompson, who now plays on the MENA Tour following the EuroPro Tour folding, finished second at four-under with fellow countryman Matt Southgate also qualifying at two-under. Southgate, who finished T6th at Royal Birkdale in 2017, will make his seventh Major appearance at Hoylake.

Jazz Janewattananond and Oliver Farr took the final two places at one-under following an agonising triple bogey at the last for Oliver Bekker, who would have got through with a par.