A little bit of local knowledge paid off in a big way for Ian Poulter.
Playing on his home course of Woburn Golf Club in England, Poulter shot rounds of 70-68 Tuesday to earn one of three spots available in The Open later this month. Poulter’s 6-under total left him tied for second with Toby Tree and two shots behind medalist Shiv Kapur.
The qualifier continues a strong stretch for Poulter, who at one point thought he had lost his PGA Tour card and later added a runner-up finish at the Players Championship. The Englishman missed The Open last year for the first time since 2001 because of a foot injury, and he was a runner-up to Padraig Harrington the last time it was played at Royal Birkdale in 2008.
There were a total of five 36-hole qualifiers held across the U.K., each offering three spots in golf’s oldest major. Among the other notable qualifiers was Matthew Southgate, who made the cut last year at Royal Troon one year after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer; he earned medalist honors at Royal Cinque Ports.
Here’s a look at the full list of players who qualified for The Open, which will be held July 20-23 in Southport, England:
Woburn: Shiv Kapur (-8), Ian Poulter (-6), Toby Tree (-6)
Royal Cinque Ports: Matthew Southgate (-6), Robert Dinwiddie (-3), Austin Connelly (-1, won 4-for-1 playoff)
Hillside: Haydn McCullen (-9), Nicholas McCarthy (-7), Adam Hodkinson (-4)
Notts Hollinwell: Mark Foster (-10), Joe Dean (-10), Laurie Canter (-7, won 3-for-1 playoff)
Gailes Links: Connor Syme (a) (-4), Julian Suri (-4), Ryan McCarthy (-2, won 4-for-1 playoff)
Source: Internet
