Euan Walker has been a place short of winning a spot in the Open Championship twice in the last three weeks – but second place today at Fairmont St Andrews will be good enough.
The new Scottish amateur star is one of 72 players at the Final Qualifying event over 36 holes on a composite course at Fairmont hunting just three places at Royal Portrush. The resort just to the south of St Andrews is one of four venues offering a total of 12 places in the Open field today, with the other qualifers held at Prince’s in Kent, Notts GC and St Anne’s Old Links in Lancashire.
The 24-year-old from Kilmarnock Barassie has been agonisingly close to getting to Portrush twice already, finishing runner-up in the Amateur Championship at Portmarnock and then at the European Individual Championship in Austria at the weekend. The winners at both events, Ireland’s James Sugrue and Germany’s Mattias Schmid, won Open exemptions with their titles.
“I’ve only really thought about coming so close to the Open at the conclusion of the tournaments,” said Walker.
“It is difficult to be disappointed given how well I have played in those events, but it would be brilliant to be playing in The Open and that’s why I’m playing in Final Qualifying this week – and, of course, second-placed would be good enough this time.”
Walker has certainly shown outstanding form in the last month to make himself surely a certainty for the GB&I Walker Cup team playing the USA at Hoylake later this year.
“To have recorded two runner-up finishes back-to-back in top amateur events show the consistency I have at the moment in my game,” he said. “”It was brilliant to back up my performance in the Amateur Championship with another strong display in the European Amateur.
“I had played a lot of links golf recently and enjoy that, but I wanted to go out to Austria to play a different-style course for a change in as much as it was softer and I really enjoyed it.
“As for the Walker Cup, the team isn’t announced until the middle of August but I have put myself in a brilliant position. I couldn’t have done much more, and I really hope I am picked because it will be a massive event.”
Walker has played FQ before when it was staged near to his home ground at Glasgow Gailes, but he fancies his chances more this time.
“That previous time my game was nowhere good enough at the time to play in The Open,” he admitted. “But I think that watching Sam (Locke) come through last year made a lot of guys think, ‘you know what, I think I can actually qualify for The Open, perform well in it and have a chance of winning the Silver Medal’.
“I think that has spurred people on, myself included. It would be amazing if I could make it to Portrush and find myself playing with Bob MacIntyre in a practice round. That would be great as we are good friends.”
The field at Fairmont includes 20 Scots, including three-time European Tour winner Marc Warren. Challenge Tour players Connor Syme, Callum Hill and Ewen Ferguson are competing while Locke, who won the Silver Medal for the best amateur finisher at Carnoustie last year after qualifying at The Renaissance Club, is back again as a professional this time.
Brandon Wu, who played all four rounds at the US Open at Pebble Beach last month and is sixth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings is also competing, while former Scottish Boys champion Will Porter (Carnoustie) is in as an alternate after missing regional qualifying by just a shot at Panmure last week.
