Jamie Donaldson qualified for The Open Championship at the last minute in 2022, finishing tied for sixth at the Scottish Open on a packed leaderboard of the world’s best players.
Last year’s Open at St Andrews was a special one. Most players would’ve wanted to play in the 150th edition of golf’s oldest major, but the importance of qualifying for this year’s tournament isn’t lost on Donaldson either.
The Welshman is due to play at West Lancashire on Tuesday with Sergio Garcia and Matthew Jordan in Final Open Qualifying, and he’s looking to use home comforts and previous experience from the venue to earn a spot at Hoylake
“That’s another one that’s close to home (The Open), so I would love to play there too,” Donaldson said at the Betfred British Masters. “I do really want to be playing at The Open.”
“I’ve played a lot at West Lancashire. Only in knockabouts, that kind of thing. It’s a really good track.
“If you’re playing with your mates and you want to go and play somewhere decent that’s close by, we’ll go on to the coast and play somewhere like West Lancashire which is a real good test of golf.
“Formby is awesome, West Lancashire is awesome. Hillside, Birkdale, Hoylake. They are all great, so whenever we get the chance, we go and play there.”
The Welshman’s best finish at The Open was a tied 32nd finish at Muirfield in 2013, one year before etching his name in Ryder Cup folklore by securing the winning point for Europe at Gleneagles.
He has an entry at the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club for similar last-second measures to 12 months ago – but four spots are up for grabs on Merseyside on July 4.
Graeme McDowell, Mito Pereira, Aaron Wise, Tom McKibbin, Victor Dubuisson, and Matt Wallace are in the same 36-hole field as Donaldson.
Royal Cinque Ports, Royal Porthcawl, and Dundonald Links are also hosting Final Open Qualifying, with a number of players competing who’ve already advanced through Regional Qualifying last month.
NOW READ: Which LIV Golf players have entered Final Open Qualifying?
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