Soren Kjeldsen, Eddie Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton have qualified for the 144th Open at St Andrews after enjoying high finishes in the Irish Open.
In blustery and showery conditions at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, Kjeldsen, Pepperell and Bernd Wiesberger finished tied on two-under-par for the championship before going into a play-off, which was won by Kjeldsen with a birdie the first play-off hole. The top three places earned an invitation to next month’s Open, but with Wiesberger already qualified, the final spot went to fourth-place finishes Hatton.
Oxfordshire-based Pepperell, 24, didn’t drop a single shot on his way to a final round two-under-par 69, which included birdies on the 8th and 13th holes. Speaking about securing his spot in the elite field at St Andrews, Pepperell said: “This is something I can really look forward to for sure. I have been in St Andrews a lot in my amateur career, and on Tour, so to go back there for an Open Championship will be quite something. I’m going to embrace the experience and hopefully go there with my game in good shape and you never know what can happen. I grew up playing links in my amateur days, so it’s something I’m very comfortable with when I’m playing well.”
Hatton bounced back from three bogeys on the back nine to birdie the 17th and par the last hole to finish on a one-under-par and a tie for fourth with Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello. He secured the final qualifying place in The Open by virtue of his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The 23-year-old will make his fourth appearance at The Open and his second at St Andrews after he qualified for the 2010 Open as an amateur. This is the second consecutive year that Hatton has secured a place at The Open through the Qualifying Series, after finishing tied fourth at the Scottish Open to secure a place at Royal Liverpool.
Hatton said: “I definitely seem to have a way of finding my way into The Open and I’m happy to have done it again. I was lucky enough to qualify for my first Open when I was 18 and that was at St Andrews, so to be going back five years later is fantastic. It’s a great place, and I just can’t wait to get back there. Sadly I haven’t been able to make the cut yet, but hopefully this will be my year.”