Galway amateur Liam Nolan was in disbelief after he made testing putts on his final two holes to clinch a dream spot in The Open at Royal Troon.
The former Walker Cup star (24) opened with a three-under 69 in Final Qualifying at Dundonald Links in Scotland — one of four venues offering four spots each in the season’s final major— and followed it with a 70 to finish tied second on five-under.
“It’s incredible,” said Nolan, who was tied with Spain’s Angel Hidalgo, just three shots behind England’s Sam Hutsby in the race for four places at Royal Troon.
“I mean, I can’t really wrap my head around it. I’m just happy I holed that five-footer or so on the last. Still getting over that.
“Yeah, it’s an amazing opportunity to play my first major and I just can’t wait for it now.”
Nolan, who will play for Ireland in next week’s European Amateur Team Championships in Italy, does not mind having to make hasty preparations for Royal Troon, where he will join Tom McKibbin and major winners Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
He made four birdies and a bogey in his opening 69 and while he was inside the top four after following birdies at the fourth, ninth and 11th with a bogey at the 16th, he had to make par saves at the 17th and 18th to secure his dream ticket.
“I was actually quite confident,” he said of his par putt at the last. “I actually 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 to get it to get to Troon.”
He added: “A major championship is the pinnacle of golf. So to get to play (in an event with) Tiger, Rory McIlroy, all the best players in the world, yeah, that’s as good as it gets.”
Nolan knew he was playing well enough to qualify, having contended for last week’s European Amateur Championship in Denmark, where he finished 11th.
“I did believe,” added Nolan, who graduated from the University of Galway with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in April.
“I played very well in the European Amateur last week, I was trending really nicely. My ball striking was very good, which is so important around a windy links. To not be looking for your golf ball is so important.
“So I knew if I rolled in a couple of putts during the day, I’d have a great chance. And that’s what happened.”
Nolan, who won the South American Amateur and the Brabazon Trophy last year to secure his Walker Cup spot, is looking forward to the European Team Championships in Turin next week.
“I finished college at the end of April, and I’m happy to be just focusing on golf at the moment,” he said.
“We have the European Team Championships next week in Italy with Team Ireland, and I’m really looking forward to that week.
“We got bronze last year, so hoping to go a couple better this year. And then it’s on to Troon so I really have to do a lot of planning now. It’s good planning, though, fun planning.
“I’ll enjoy doing that. I will just try to sort out my next three weeks as well as I can. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Hutsby shot rounds of 67 and 69 at Dundonald to top the qualifiers by two shots from Nolan and Hidalgo, who eagled the last from 130 yards as three players played off of the final spot on four-under
Graeme McDowell shot rounds of 72 and 73 to miss by three shots out at Royal Cinque Ports, where Matthew Southgate topped the qualifiers by three shots on six-under from Southport’s Elvis Smylie and Spanish amateur Jaime Montojo.
Sergio Garcia was two shots outside the five-under qualifying mark at West Lancashire, where English amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry and Sam Horsfield topped the qualifiers by a shot on six-under.
Niall Kearney shot rounds of 69 and 71 at Burnham and Berrow but was three shots outside the top four on two-under.
