Golf British Open qualifying: Paul McGinley used plenty of common sense in plotting his way to a place in the field for the 133rd British Open at Royal Troon in a fortnight.
For yesterday's International Qualifying competition at Sunningdale, where there were 17 places on offer, the Dubliner used a local caddie, dispatching his regular tour man, Darren Reynolds, to a spot of reconnaissance over the new course at the K Club for this week's European Open.
The ploy worked admirably. In shooting rounds of 70 over the Old Course and 65 over the New Course for a 36-hole total of eight-under-par 135, McGinley qualified comfortably in tied-fourth place for the Open, finishing a shot behind the leading three players Mark Foster, Nicolas Colsaerts and Paul Broadhurst.
Colin Montgomerie, who has slipped out of the world's top-50 and so failed to gain automatic exemption, also secured his place. But the seven-time European Tour Order of Merit winner, who was forced to go through the qualifying process for the first time since 1989, had to come through a 12-man play-off for six places before guaranteeing his presence at Troon, his home course.
After shooting a first round 68 which featured nine birdies, Monty remarked: "I'm making too many mistakes. I've always prided myself on the mistakes I didn't make rather than the birdies I did make. Right now, the mistakes I'm making are killing me."
Fortunately for the Scot, he was able to keep his hopes alive sufficiently to show his fortitude by emerging from the play-off that went on late into the night.
In addition to Montgomerie, the other players to make it through the play-off to join the starting line-up a were Eduardo Romero (Argentina), Marten Olander (Sweden), Peter Hedblom (Sweden), Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) and Warren Bennett (England).
McGinley's qualification brings the number of Irish players in the field to five: Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and amateur Brian McElhinney, who won the European Strokeplay championship last year, were already exempt.
The number could yet rise because further spots are on offer at this week's European Open, next week's Scottish Open and at the Final Qualifying, which has 12 places.
This will be McGinley's 12th appearance in the British Open, his best finish coming at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1996 where he was tied-14th. His last appearance in a major was at last year's US PGA in Rochester when he missed the cut.
Among the casualties of yesterday's qualifying were three Irish players. Gary Murphy (69-73 for 142), Gavin McNeill (77-69 for 146) and Michael Hoey (79-72 for 151) all missed out, but had some high-profile names for company, including Justin Rose, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Jose Maria Olazabal, Jesper Parnevik and Thomas Levet.
Rose, perhaps, had most to regret. The player who sprung to prominence when finishing fourth in the Open at Birkdale in 1998 actually led the midway qualifiers, along with Cesar Monasterio, after shooting a first round 65 yesterday, only to follow up with a 73 that saw him finish a shot outside the packed play-off.
Hunter Mahan, the losing finalist at the 2002 US Amateur championship, set the early pace in the American leg of 36-hole international qualifying for the British Open yesterday.
The 22-year-old Californian, who turned professional last year, fired a 64 on the Gold course at Congressional Golf Club in Maryland to stay on track for one of a minimum 15 spots available at Royal Troon.
Sunningdale Scores (British unless stated Irish in bold)
(x) denotes amateurs
134 - M Foster 68 66, P Broadhurst 68 66, N Colsaerts (Bel) 66 68
135 - Paul McGinley 70 65, K Ferrie 67 68, E Little 68 67, S Wakefield 68 67, M Tunnicliff 69 66, C Cevaer (Fra) 70 65
136 - K Eriksson (Swe) 71 65, G Emerson 69 67
137 - (after play-off) E Romero (Arg) 68 69, M Olander (Swe) 69 68, P Hedblom (Swe) 70 67, C Montgomerie 68 69, M Lafeber (Ned) 69 68 W Bennett 72 65
The following players failed to qualify
137 - (after play-off) R Rashell (USA) 66 71, M Pilkington 71 66, I Garbutt 66 71.
138 - M Pendaries (Fra) 70 68, G Houston 69 69, J Spence 68 70, J Rose 65 73, P Marantz (Aus) 71 67, J Parnevik (Swe) 70 68, N Fasth (Swe) 67 71, P Fowler (Aus) 67 71
139 - (x) F Molinari (Ita) 71 68, S Fernandez (Arg) 69 70, C Hanell (Swe) 69 70, S Gallacher 70 69, D Carter 71 68, S Hansen (Den) 70 69, JM Olazabal (Spa) 68 71, A Wall 68 71
140 - S Little 70 70, P Sjoland (Swe) 71 69, S Scahill (Nzl) 70 70, G Rojas (Arg) 71 69, P Fulke (Swe) 71 69, I Woosnam 71 69, E Rush 67 73, G Orr 68 72, B Rumford (Aus) 70 70, M Lemesurier 71 69
141 - T Price (Aus) 72 69, P O'Malley (Aus) 74 67, M Cort 69 72, J Lomas 70 71, B Barham 72 69, R Finch 68 73, S Manley 68 73, J Sandelin (Swe) 71 70, A Canete (Arg) 67 74, M Brier (Aut) 69 72, S Webster 68 73, A Raitt 69 72, D Borrego (Spa) 66 75, J Berendt (Arg) 70 71, P Archer 67 74, S Khan 72 69, T Dier (Ger)
142 - J Bickerton 72 70, M Pearce (Nzl) 74 68, D Park 71 71, M Siem (Ger) 72 70, G Hutcheon 71 71, Gary Murphy 69 73, M James 68 74, M Wiegele (Aut) 71 71
143 - M Jonzon (Swe) 72 71, P Eales 73 70, JM Lara (Spa) 74 69, M Mouland 73 70, J Little 71 72, D Patrick 75 68, D Drysdale 69 74, P Golding 71 72, JMl Carriles (Spa) 72 71
144 - G Brand Jnr 74 70, S O'Hara 72 72, J Edfors (Swe) 70 74, M Roe 71 73
145- M Mackenzie 70 75, R Bland 74 71, A Marshall 71 74, J Clement (Swi) 73 72, M Blackey 74 71, R Rock 69 76, G Woodman 73 72, N Dougherty 76 69, B Langer (Ger) 75 70
146 - J Moseley (Aus) 77 69, T Whitehouse 72 74, Gavin McNeill 77 69, G Havret (Fra) 71 75
147 - R McEvoy 71 76, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 77
148 - C Gane 75 73, M Farry (Fra) 71 77, D Ryles 78 70
149 - P Baker 77 72
150 - M Ilonen (Fin) 77 73
151 - Michael Hoey 79 72
153 - B Kennedy (Aus) 75 78
155 - F Guermani (Ita) 79 76, J Elson 78 77
157 - I Keenan 76 81
Withdrew: T Levet (Fra), S Little, R Chapman, J Hepworth, E Canonica (Ita), M Ruiz (Par), R Russell.
No return: C Rodiles (Spa).
US QUALIFYING
(Congressional Golf Club in Maryland)
First round scores
64 - H Mahan (unatt)
65 - S Kendall (Keenes Point)
66 - J Ogilvie (unatt), R Pampling (Aus), T Byrum (Unattached)
67 - C Wittenberg (Spring Creek Ranch), E Compton (Doral), M Hensby (Aus)
68 - J Quinney (unatt), M Goggin (Aus), B Estes (unatt), T Fischer (unatt), R S Johnson (Swe), J E Morgan (Clevedon), J Bohn (Cartersville), M Hulbert (Bay Hill), A Cejka (Germany)
69 - B Van Pelt (unatt), S McRoy (Valley Hill), T Herron (unatt), R Gamez (unatt), M Gronberg (Swe), W Schauman (Swe), S McCarron (Montreaux), S Pate (North Ranch), D Chopra (Swe), S Elkington (Aus), A Baddeley (Aus), D Waldorf (unatt).
70 - L Donald (Eng), J Durant (Steelwood), J Senden (Aus), G Day (unatt), P Jordan (Medinah), T Pernice (unatt).
71 - C Pettersson (Swe), T Petrovic (unatt), G Ogilvy (Aus), C Ray (Belfair), C Kresge (unatt), A Oberholser (unatt), B Lardon (The Hills), C Beckman (unatt), J Green (Bay Oaks).
72 - E Michaels (unatt), G Rusnak (Seascape), W Austin (Wichita), D Gossett (unatt), B Crane (unatt), L Janzen (Isleworth), L Mattiace (TPC Sawgrass).
73 - C Downes (Aus), M Muehr (unatt), J Maggert (unatt), E Toledo (Mexico), R Gage (Heathrow)
75 - H Slocum (unatt), H Frazar (Royal Oaks), K Duke (Maumelle), J Byrd (Sea Island), T Purdy (unatt), A Quiroz (Mexico).
76 - K Jones (unatt).
77 - S Skinner (Pineknoll), B DeCorso (Can).
78 - T Williamson (unatt).
