McDowell holds his nerve

Graeme McDowell, who came through a qualifying tournament for the US Open earlier this month, sank a 12-foot birdie putt to make…

Graeme McDowell, who came through a qualifying tournament for the US Open earlier this month, sank a 12-foot birdie putt to make into the Open championship today.

McDowell was part of a seven-man play-off for the last four of 18 places up for grabs in the European qualifier at Sunningdale.

A 90-minute rain delay meant there was no time for the play-off last night, so the players involved returned for a 7am start this morning.

South African Darren Fichardt double-bogeyed the first hole and Italian Alessandro Tadini bogeyed it to drop out, then McDowell and South Africa's Richard Sterne both made birdies at the third extra hole.

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That left English trio Simon Dyson, Robert Rock and James Hepworth going on for the final two spots, Hepworth having stayed alive with a 30-foot par putt on the first.

Rock birdied the seventh extra hole to book his place at Hoylake and then Dyson sank a six-foot birdie putt on the next after Hepworth had missed from 25 feet.

Another 36-hole qualifier involving Lee Westwood, Greg Owen, Justin Rose and Brian Davis was due to have taken place in America yesterday, but was cancelled because of weather delays at the US Tour's Booz Allen Classic.

Instead the Open spots were given to the top 12 in the world rankings - in order Tom Pernice, Brett Wetterich, Vaughn Taylor, Westwood, Owen, Bo Van Pelt, JB Holmes, Jerry Kelly, Ted Purdy, Steve Elkington, Jeff Maggert and Aaron Baddeley.