Former Walker Cup star Liam Nolan grabs dream spot at Open

The former Walker Cup star (24) opened with a three-under 69 in Final Qualifying at Dundonald Links before knocking in putts of six and five feet for a 70 to finish tied second on five-under in the battle for four spots.

“It was a long day with a lot of different weather conditions, so you had to adapt all day and just keep the ball in play as best as possible,” said Nolan.

“It’s going to be crazy. I feel like I’ve had a very good amateur career, but this a nice one to tick off, playing in my first major.

“It’s hard to process the fact that I’m going to The Open. I’m looking forward to everything – the crowds, it being in Scotland, the Home of Golf, and, yeah, I just can’t wait to go.”

Nolan will join Tom McKibbin and Major winners Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry at Royal Troon.

“I was actually quite confident,” he said of his par putt at the last. “I had a six-footer on 17 and another one again on 18. I was putting well, especially in the afternoon. So I just said I’d give it a roll. And if it didn’t go in, I’d still have a chance.

“A Major championship is the pinnacle of golf… Tiger, Rory McIlroy, all the best players in the world. That’s as good as it gets.

“It was a long day with a lot of different weather conditions, so you had to adapt all day and just keep the ball in play as best as possible.

“It’s going to be crazy. I feel like I’ve had a very good amateur career, but this a nice one to tick off, playing in my first major.

“It’s hard to process the fact that I’m going to The Open. I’m looking forward to everything – the crowds, it being in Scotland, the Home of Golf, and, yeah, I just can’t wait to go.”

Hutsby shot 67 and 69 to top the qualifiers by two shots from Nolan and Hidalgo, who eagled the last from 130 yards, as Jack McDonald won a three-way play-off for the final spot.

Graeme McDowell missed by three shots at Royal Cinque Ports, where Matthew Southgate, Elvis Smylie and Spanish amateurs Jaime Montoj and Luis Masaveu progressed.

Ireland’s Alex Maguire played alongside Sergio Garcia at West Lancashire but missed out by nine shots as they were put on the clock.

The Spaniard blamed the 2,000-strong gallery as he failed to make his 100th Major by two strokes and amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry, Sam Horsfield, Dan Brown and Masahiro Kawamura qualified.

“Unless we wanted to start hitting people we couldn’t hit,” complained Garcia, who made five bogeys in rounds of 71 and 70.

Niall Kearney missed out on a playoff for two spots by three strokes at Burnham and Berrow, where Justin Rose and amateur Dominic Clemons topped the leaderboard on eight-under.