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Lee Westwood brushed off jetlag and a lack of sleep to clinch a place in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush later this month.
The Englishman played in the LIV Golf event in Texas last weekend, before making a mad dash from Dallas to Dundonald to compete in final qualifying.
He arrived in Scotland late on Monday night and was functioning on barely a couple of hours’ sleep by the time he teed it up Tuesday morning.
But the former Ryder Cup star rolled back the years in front of bumper crowds at the Ayrshire venue, carding two rounds of 70 and 67 to finish top of the pile on seven-under par.
With the top five players securing a spot at Portrush, it was Scotland’s Daniel Young, Spain’s Angel Hidalgo and Sweden’s Jesper Sandborg who also prevailed alongside Westwood.
Lee Westwood was short on sleep but was in good humour as he qualified for The Open
Westwood carded two rounds of 70 and 67 to finish top of the pile on seven-under par.
Westwood is now targeting a tilt at The Open - which would be his first major victory
The final spot saw two Scots go head-to-head in a sudden-death play-off, with teenage amateur Connor Graham beating Paul O’Hara in dramatic fashion.
Former World No 1 Westwood can now look forward to another crack at finally winning his first major and the grand old age of 52 - and he is confident he can compete.
‘Yeah, it feels great, but I’m also really tired,’ said Westwood. ‘It’s a while since I’ve played 36 holes in a day and I didn’t really give myself the best chance in terms of preparation.
‘I only made my mind up last week that I was definitely going to play. I didn’t get in until seven o’clock on Monday night after flying from Texas. It’s a strange route - Dallas to Dundonald.
‘I had never played the course before, so walked it once I arrived. We got wet on the last four holes, good old Scotland raining on me. I think we got off the course about quarter past nine or something.
‘But I ended up only getting an hour-and-a-half of sleep due to the jetlag. So, if I end up collapsing, you will know why.
‘I’ve always said, The Open is the greatest championship in golf. As a British player, you get phenomenal support and I really enjoyed Portrush last time in 2019.
‘I finished fourth and played nicely, so I’ll be looking forward to going back there. For me, it’s in the top three links courses in the British Isles.
‘Qualifiers have won it before (Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999). I’m not necessarily going with any expectations but, of any major championships, I do think you can compete on links courses.
‘Tom Watson proved that around Turnberry in 2009 and then Greg Norman a couple of years later at Royal Birkdale.
‘I think if any form of golf gives seniors a chance, it’s links golf because you get a bit of run on the ball and you have to use a bit of cunning and guile with the wind.
‘I’m just looking forward to enjoying the week at Portrush and seeing a few old friends and enjoying that golf course.’
This will be Westwood’s 93rd major championship, the most appearances of any player without having won one of the game’s biggest prizes.
It will also be his 28th Open Championship. He can boast a stellar record, with five top-five finishes, although a Claret Jug has always narrowly escaped his grasp.
It was something of a full circle moment for Westwood, with his first crack at Open qualifying back in 1994 ending in heartbreak at nearby Kilmarnock Barassie.
‘I am 52 now, I’m not getting any younger,’ he said. ‘I was looking at the course next door (Barassie) and I think I tried to qualify around there in 1994.
‘I remember hitting a sprinkler and bouncing through the back of the green and then losing out in a play-off.
At 52, Westwood believes he can still be a contender after coming through qualifying
‘I qualified the following year in 1995 at Leven and then played something like 25 or 26 consecutive Open Championships, so it’s nice to be back playing in it again after missing the last couple.
‘I’ve finished second, I’ve finished third a couple of times, I’ve finished fourth a couple of times, I’ve had a lot of top 10s.
‘I really enjoy playing links golf. It tests you like the week in, week out golf doesn’t. You’ve got to use your imagination a lot more imagination around the greens.
‘There’s no walk like walking down the 18th in an Open Championship with the stands surrounding the 18th green.’
After finishing one shot back from Westwood, Scotland’s Young can now look forward to making his Open debut in a couple of weeks.
‘I’ve played well around here before, so I feel quite comfortable on the golf course,’ said the Perth man.
‘I know the scoring never gets probably as low as people might think. It’s a tricky enough course and they set up a few tricky enough pins today.
‘So, yeah, you’ve just got to be pretty patient like I was this morning when I didn’t probably have my best stuff.
‘And then I strung together just a lovely round this afternoon. It’s a big step in my career.
‘I’ve got a big second half of the year coming up and hopefully I’ll start with a good week at Portrush.’
Hidalgo and Sandborg both finished on six-under and five-under respectively, with 18-year-old amateur Graham pipping fellow Scot O’Hara after a birdie at the first hole in a play-off.
‘I am delighted,’ said the youngster from Blairgowrie, who plays on the college circuit in America.
‘It was pretty nervy in the play-off but, thankfully, I got the job done. There were big crowds following us (his group with Westwood and Jamie Donaldson).
‘I managed to deal with the pressure I was under pretty good and that definitely helped me in the play-off.
‘To be able to get into an event like The Open and be able to compete there would definitely be a big step in my career. Getting there will be very special.’
