12 players were given one final tilt at earning a spot in The Open field on a scorching morning-turned-afternoon on July 13.
It was the Last Chance Qualifier, and through various means, a mix of DP World Tour players, amateurs and a YouTuber teed off from 7.30 am Monday at Royal Birkdale with the same dream on their minds as Messrs McIlroy and Scheffler: lifting the Claret Jug.
The crowds for this inaugural event were phenomenal. I pitched up in the grandstand on the 9th green, watching each of the four groups pass down into the dip and up to the platform green, grinding for birdies and pars on a tight leaderboard.
Joe Dean and Andrew Wilson led at this stage, and through grit, incredible shot-making and a bit of links nous, it was Dean of College Pines in Worksop who edged Wilson by a shot.
He made a remarkable eagle on the impossibly long par-5 14th hole, then blundered at the next with a three-putt. He held on with a 68 to book a spot on Thursday’s tee sheet with Henrik Stenson and Max Homa.
I spotted Russell Fitzpatrick on the way around, the father of Matt and Alex, as he watched Dean secure a spot in the final major of the year.
“I know he went to watch Joe,” Matt told me afterwards. “I grew up playing with Joe, and I know my brother’s become good friends with him on the DP World Tour.
“I did a lot of Yorkshire coaching, played on Yorkshire teams with Joe. Dad was out there mainly to support him. He was happy to see him qualify, as was I.”
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The Yorkshireman posed with the iconic yellow Open flag behind the famous 18th green at Birkdale. Having lost in a playoff at Final Open Qualifying at West Lancs, Dean returned to Merseyside, and it paid dividends.
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The fans who flocked to the course to watch the drama unfold were also left with no regrets about their trip to the northwest coast.
However, it seems that some fans online, not treading the hallowed Southport turf, were left angry and confused about why this event wasn’t televised, broadcast on YouTube, or on Open radio.
One described the option to watch the recorded action later as ‘pointless’, another described it as ‘a miss’ for the R&A, and someone else questioned the point of the whole thing if no TV cameras are present.
I guess Dean might hand in his caddie’s bib in that case.
I understand that Southport isn’t in the middle of the country, and isn’t accessible to everyone. The Last Chance Qualifier was also on a Monday, and people work, and might not book a day off to come and watch 12 players for five hours. But those that did were rewarded handsomely.
A Monday practice day ticket was £40 for an adult, and £20 for a junior. You could watch the qualifier that started first thing, and watch plenty of golf thereafter, without having to look over the shoulders of crowds 30-deep, which will no doubt be the case come Sunday afternoon – especially if Rory McIlroy is in contention.
You could watch the final group putt out at midday, then feast on the surreal experience that is an Open practice round. Trust me, they’re great, and cheap.
Some readers of NCG absolutely went to town on the ‘greed’ shown by the R&A in upping the Open ticket prices to £190 for next year’s final round.
They might be the same ones complaining that they can’t watch top-level golf for free on YouTube, when they could have made the effort for a fraction of the cost in this Open week.
I am not telling people what to do. I am lucky enough to work in the media, and so I watched the action out of duty. But my point is that the option to attend The Open today was far more achievable in many respects than the championship days, and you’d have enjoyed it all the same.
Put your phone down, and come and watch the Last Chance Qualifier next time. You will not regret it.
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