Rhys is Open Bound
Thursday 3rd July 2014
The Open Championship 2014 Final Qualifying Monday 1st July 2014
Truro golfer Rhys Enoch has qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake later this month after he triumphed in a dramatic play-off win in final qualifying at Woburn on Monday of this week.
Enoch became one of 12 players who secured their places at the Championship at the conclusion of Final Qualifying at four separate venues Sunningdale, Gailes Links, Woburn and Hillside. At each of these courses only 3 places for the Open were available. At Royal Liverpool Enoch will tee it up in a field of the world's best players.
Irish amateur Paul Dunne and English professional Oliver Fisher had safely qualified with -10 and -7 under totals respectively but rounds of 70 and 68 gave the 26-year-old former Cornwall Golf Union county player a six under total and took him into a three man play-off for the third and final qualifying place, along with Australian professional Jack Wilson and England amateur Tomasz Anderson.
And on the 402 yard first playoff hole former Wales international Enoch chipped in with a 25' downhill pitch from just over the green to clinch his place at Royal Liverpool when the Championship begins on July 17. Enoch had hit two iron off the tee but his nine iron adrenaline fuelled approach was long and finished over the green. However, he showed great nerve to hole his chip with a lob wedge and when the other pair could not match his birdie three as Enoch went through as only one of three from the 72 man field. Rhys is pictured above picking his ball out of the hole after holing his pitch. (Picture courtesy of the West Briton)
Enoch was obviously delighted, tweeting 'Yessssss! Hoylake bound #theopen #boom'.
Rhys said 'It’s strange I pitched poorly all day but as soon as I got to my ball I had a feeling something strange was going to happen,” he said. “All golfers want to play in The Open but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d get into the Championship that way. It’s all a bit surreal.”
All of those associated with Cornish golf wish Rhys well in his efforts on this the biggest golfing stage of all.
Another former County player Alex McGregor was playing at Sunningdale and came very close to qualifying himself after rounds of 73 + 68 saw him finish just outside automatic qualification at 3 over par and in a tie for 5th place.
Elsewhere Cornish interest was restricted to St Enodoc's Josh Walsh. Also playing at Woburn Josh shot 75 & 76 for a +7 total and finished tied in 49th place.