Shane Lowry had his two best rounds as a professional at Sunningdale today, but they were not low enough for the 22-year-old to make it into the top 10 and qualify for The Open at Turnberry next month. Dubliner Peter Lawrie came closer with a 66 and 67, but also missed out after a play-off with five others.

The Irish Open champion, who has only played twice as professional since his win at Baltray last month, shot a level-par 70 on the New Course and then a 69 on the Old but at one under he was still nine shots off the pace set by Graeme Storm and Argentina’s Rafa Echenique.

Storm set a record for the new course with his sparkling eight-under 62 in the morning.

Seventeen years after he played as a marker for John Daly in The Open, Scotland’s David Drysdale will make his major championship debut at Turnberry.

Helped by the 10th hole-in-one of his career, the 34-year-old shot rounds of 65 and 66 to grab one of the 10 places on offer.

After nine previous attempts to qualify without success Drysdale said: “I can’t wait. I’ve got the next two weeks off and I’d love to go over and have maybe a couple of games there.”

As a leading local amateur in 1992 Drysdale was called on to partner first Roger Chapman and then Daly in the first group out in the third and fourth rounds when otherwise they would have played on their own.

“I was 17 and it was a big buzz. It would be just great if I got to play with Daly again — he was fantastic.”

Drysdale, whose ace came on the 217-yard 10th hole of the New Course, has reason to believe that anything will be possible.

Ten years ago he was in the same qualifying event as Paul Lawrie and out-scored him by six in the opening round, but then he missed out while Lawrie went on to win at Carnoustie.

At nine under, he finished joint third with fellow Scot Gary Orr and South African Branden Grace, one behind England’s Storm and Echenique.

Welshman Rhys Davies, England’s Paul Broadhurst and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin were joint sixth and that left six players in the play-off for the last two spots.

England's Oliver Fisher and Scot Richie Ramsay emerged from the group that also contained Mark Foster, Danny Willett, Dutchman Taco Remkes and Lawrie.

Former Open runners-up Thomas Bjorn and Thomas Levet were among those who missed out.

Bjorn failed to make it into the play-offs by a stroke, but Levet shot seven too many and then was disqualified in any case for signing for the wrong score.

France’s Christian Cevaer, winner of the European Open two weeks ago, missed by five and Swede Niclas Fasth, runner-up in the Wales Open this weekend, by seven.