Free Golf in London. Walton Heath and Sunningdale.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Unfortunately you won’t actually get to play the course for yourself but you can watch some very fine professionals attempt to qualify for the respective American and British Opens.


Monday 25th May USA Open Qualifying.  (NB Bank Holiday Monday.)

I’ve been to Walton Heath for each of the past 5 years since they started hosting the final overseas qualifying for the US open.  It’s superbly organised and means you can follow top Golfers in galleries of about 50 spectators with no ropes. Free parking with a short walk gets you on the courses by the 8th Tee on the New.  Walk over to the clubhouse and they’ll give you a free timesheet of pairings for the day.  There’s also food and ‘comfort facilities’ and the Braid room.

 Last year I watched McIroy, Dougherty, P Walton and Gary Wolstenholme.

Here’s the scoring from that first year. Among the qualifiers was Michel Campbell – what happened next?



This year I will be there this year for the Morning Only.  If you’d like to meet there please post on here or shoot me an IM.

If you can attend try and stay for the inevitable playoff.  Last year if started about 5.45. Four players were contesting for tow more spots and first and second alternatives.

Four started sudden death on the 1st of the old.

Thomas Levet , Sweden's Johan Edfors , Gary Wolstenholme and Argentina's Daniel Vancsik.
The first pair parred this hole and then latter pair crossed the road.  Despite being out driven by 30 yards Wolstenholme clung in there.  Both birdied, 2nd on the old, and the 18th of the new.  Two pars on the 2nd of the old with Wolstenholme birdying the 18th again to claim a spot that got him there. Great stuff. Couldn’t happen to a greater wanker.(  ).


I’ve never managed to make it to the Sunnigdale British Open qualifier. This year it’s on Monday 8th June. I don’t think it has quite so many world 50-100 players in it but it’s a strong field. Seems to be a tradition that Darren Clarke will put his name down for both and then back out the day before!  I imagine the organisation and access is just as good and you can walk around taking it all in. I hope to get there in the afternoon but that’s not guaranteed yet.

Of course if you’re good enough you could play in it.




INTERNATIONAL FINAL QUALIFYING — EUROPE
Monday 8 June 2009
Player Information:
Closing Date for Entries: Thursday 21 May 2009
To enter: Players must complete the official entry form and send it to:
Entries Department, The R&A, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JD, Scotland.
Venue: Sunningdale, Berkshire, England.
Field size: Maximum 96 players.
Eligibility:
(1) Past Open Champions.
   
   (2) Any player with OWGR pointage at date of entry. A place in the starting field of IFQ will be subject to OWGR ranking on the closing date.
   
   (3) Anyone who played in the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

10 players will qualify directly into The Open Championship.
AN ELIGIBLE PLAYER MAY ENTER ONLY ONE OF THE FIVE INTERNATIONAL FINAL QUALIFYING EVENTS OR ALTERNATIVELY MAY PLAY IN LOCAL FINAL QUALIFYING.
THE PLAYER MAY NOT DO BOTH.

[Scott Warren]

Could be interested in this, Tony.

Unless anyone might fancy a hit at a Surrey track in the morning and then an afternoon watching the final groups and the playoff?

[Tony_Muldoon]

b  u    m    P!

[Scott Warren]

The Cheese Rolling in Gloucester, of all things, is threatening to derail my plans to attend. The better half is adamant we go. The £50 return train ticket has slowed her up, but I fear she will find a cheaper way

[Andrew Mitchell]

The subject heading you gave this thread certainly got my attention Tony 

Both sound an excellent day out and a chance to watch some of the top players close up.  Sadly they are a little too far for a day trip from Yorkshire.

Scott, your better half is certainly trying to acquaint herself with old English customs if she's taking you to watch people roll cheeses downhill 

[Scott Warren]

Andrew,

It looks like I'm getting aquainted, but from what I have read there is at least a good chance I will see some carnage...

[Philip Gawith]

Tony I MAY visit Walton Heath on Monday. I will let you know if I do. I think I would first like to see a list of who is playing etc

[Tony_Muldoon]

Philip I personally guarantee a dozen former world top 20 or Ryder Cup players or double your money back! Not to mention up and comers like Dougherty, McIroy, Ross and Olli Fisher etc etc. These guys can play its just that many of them haven't played out of Heather before.



Last year there was a link on the BBC Golf page the day before so you can see in advance.  Disappointingly two or three big names will drop out at the last minute, it happens every year.

[David Stamm]

Darn it! Tony, after reading the title of this thread I went to Expedia to look for airfare rates to London!

[Tony_Muldoon]

http://sport.scotsman.com/golf/Monty-faces-US-qualifier.5278944.jp

Several papers carried this today. Speculation? We'll see.

[Tony_Muldoon]

What happened next?

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12176_5348190,00.html

Put it in your dairy for next year. I watched from close up, Howell, Doherty, fisher (370 yards Drives ON 16 &17), McGinley -the best way to watch or golf in London. See you at Sunningdale.

[Andrew Brown]

Tony,

What your link doesn't mention is that the final qualifying spot was determined in Peter Hanson's favour...with an ace at the second play-off hole!!!!

That's a neat way to make your way into the Championship!!

Regards
Andrew

[Tony_Muldoon]

Collated second round scores & totals in the European Qualifying Tournament, 36-hole United States Open, Walton Heath Old and New Course, Surrey, England
(Gbr and Irl unless stated):

135 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 67 68, Simon Khan 68 67

136 Simon Dyson 66 70

137 Thomas Levet (Fra) 70 67

138 David Horsey 72 66, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 71 67

139 Stephen Gallacher 70 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 72 67, Peter Hanson (Swe) 71 68, Johan Edfors (Swe) 73 66, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 68, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 68 71, Richard Bland 68 71

The following players failed to qualify

140 Nick Dougherty 71 69, Markus Brier (Aut) 70 70, Brett rumford (Aus) 69 71

141 Wade Ormsby (Aus) 74 67, Richie Ramsay 71 70, Alastair Forsyth 71 70, Simon Griffiths 72 69

142 Gareth Maybin 73 69, Paul McGinley 74 68, Oliver Fisher 71 71, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 72 70

143 Chris Wood 73 70, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 70 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 72 71, Jamie Donaldson 73 70, Phillip Archer 74 69, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 72, Sam Hutsby 69 74

144 Scott Strange (Aus) 71 73, Richard Finch 72 72, Miguel Rodriguez (Arg) 71 73, Fracois Delamontagne (Fra) 72 72, Paul Waring 72 72

145 Gary Murphy 74 71, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 70 75, Gregory Havret (Fra) 74 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 75 70, Michael Hoey 75 70, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 69 76, Robert Dinwiddie 74 71, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 74 71

146 Ross McGowan 72 74

147 Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 74 73, TC Charamba (Zim) 75 72, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 69 78, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 75 72

148 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 72 76

149 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 71 78, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 74 75, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 76 73, Steve Webster 76 73

150 Alan McLean 76 74, Benn Barham 73 77

151 Marc Cayeux (Zim) 74 77, Anthony Kang (USA) 77 74, Pablo Martin (Spa) 74 77

153 Merrick Bremner (Rsa) 73 80

154 Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 78 76, David Howell 78 76

WD: Kenneth Ferrie, Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Rafa Echenique (Arg), Tano Goya (Arg), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Marcel Siem (Ger), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg

[Philip Gawith]

Sorry I could not make it Tony - alas i had some office distractions, a great shame on such a fine day! Maybe Sunningdale....

[Tony_Muldoon]

Walton Heath Scores
http://usga.usopen.com/2009/qualifying/surrey.html


Sunningdale
http://www.pga.com/2009/news/europeantour/06/08/ifq/index.html

Conditions were pretty ideal at both. Sunningdale was perhaps colder but softer.  Once again work prevented me getting there yesterday  but definitely next year.  A sudden death which took 4 holes to complete is about as exciting as it gets.
Cood to see young Mr Fisher finding some form this week.